Cobra Kai is an American comedy-drama web television series based on The Karate Kid film series created by Robert Mark Kamen that premiered on May 2, 2018 on YouTube Red (now YouTube Premium). The television series takes place 34 years after the original film and follows the reopening of the Cobra Kai karate dojo by Johnny Lawrence and the rekindling of his old rivalry with Daniel LaRusso. The series was created by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald and stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, reprising their roles from the films. On May 10, 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season of ten episodes that is set to premiere in 2019.
Video Cobra Kai
Premise
Cobra Kai takes place 34 years after the original film and follows a "down-and-out Johnny Lawrence, who seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo, reigniting his rivalry with a now successful Daniel LaRusso, who has been struggling to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of his mentor, Mr. Miyagi. The show is about two men addressing past demons and present frustrations the only way they know how: through karate."
Running parallel to the conflict are the story arcs of Johnny and Daniel's students. Johnny opens a new Cobra Kai dojo that attracts a group of bullied nerds and social outcasts who find a camaraderie and self-confidence under his tutelage, but who take his aggressive philosophy too far, in particular his star pupil, Miguel Diaz. In contrast, Johnny's estranged son, Robby Keene, comes under the wing of Daniel, who hires the boy at his car dealership, initially not knowing that Johnny is his father. Daniel eventually proves a positive influence to the boy, teaching him Mr. Miyagi's philosophy of balance. Meanwhile, Daniel's daughter, Samantha, is caught in the middle of these conflicts as she learns who her true friends are and a better path to follow.
Maps Cobra Kai
Cast and characters
Main
Recurring
Guest
- David Shatraw as Tom Cole
- Ken Davitian as Armand Zakarian
- Randee Heller as Lucille LaRusso
- Martin Kove as John Kreese
Pat Morita and Elisabeth Shue appear via archive footage from the first film as Mr. Miyagi and Ali Mills, respectively.
Episodes
Production
Development
On August 4, 2017, it was announced that YouTube had given the production a series order to consist of a first season of ten half hour episodes. The series is set to be written and executive produced by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg. Hurwitz and Schlossberg will direct multiple episodes of the first season. The trio will be joined as executive producers by James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett of Overbrook Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Television.
On May 10, 2018, it was announced that YouTube had renewed the series for a second season consisting of ten episodes. Production is set to begin in late 2018 with the season premiering in 2019.
Casting
Alongside the initial series announcement, it was reported that William Zabka and Ralph Macchio were cast in the series' lead roles reprising their characters of Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso, respectively, from the original film. On October 24, 2017, the rest of the main cast was announced and included Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan, and Courtney Henggeler. It was also reported that Ed Asner would be appearing in a guest role as Sid Weinberg described as "Johnny's reluctant stepfather, an old-school, hard-nosed, former studio mogul, who is tired of dealing with his stepson's failures." On December 19, 2017, it was reported that Vanessa Rubio had joined the series in a recurring capacity.
On May 24, 2018, it was announced that Martin Kove would reprise his role of John Kreese, after previously appearing in a cameo appearance in the season one finale, as a series regular in season two. Additionally, it was confirmed that Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Xolo Mariduena, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, and Courtney Henggeler would return for the second season.
Filming
In October 2017, principal photography for the series began in Atlanta, Georgia. Filming took place at various locations throughout that month at places including Union City, Marietta, and the Briarcliff Campus of Emory University. Various exterior shots were also filmed in parts of Los Angeles such as Tarzana and Encino. Exterior locations include Golf N' Stuff in Norwalk and the South Seas Apartments in Reseda, both of which were originally featured in The Karate Kid.
Release
Marketing
In January 2018, the series was promoted at the annual Television Critics Association's winter press tour where YouTube's global head of original content Susanne Daniels described the show saying, "It is a half an hour format but I would call it a dramedy. I think it leans into the tone of the movies in that there are dramatic moments throughout. I think it's very faithful really in some ways to what the movie set about doing, the lessons imparted in the movie if you will. It's next generation Karate Kid."
On February 15, 2018, YouTube released the first teaser trailer for the series. On March 1, 2018, a second teaser trailer was released. A week later, a third teaser trailer was released. On March 21, 2018, the official trailer was released which included the announcement that the show would premiere on May 2, 2018.
Premiere
The series held its world premiere on April 24, 2018 at the SVA Theatre in New York City, New York during the annual Tribeca Film Festival. Following the screening a discussion was held with writers, directors, and executive producers Hayden Schlossberg, Jon Hurwitz, and Josh Heald and series stars and co-executive producers William Zabka and Ralph Macchio.
On April 25, 2018, YouTube partnered with Fathom Events for special screenings of the first two episodes of the series at around 700 movie theaters across the United States. The event also included a screening of the original film.
Availability
The entire series is available on the YouTube Premium streaming service in participating countries. However, viewers in select countries, such as Canada, can purchase each episode of the series individually on the regular YouTube service.
Reception
Critical response
The series has been met with a positive response from critics upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.55 out of 10 based on 31 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Cobra Kai continues the Karate Kid franchise with a blend of pleasantly corny nostalgia and teen angst, elevated by a cast of well-written characters." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 72 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."
Viewership
YouTube reports that the first episode, which was posted for free along with episode 2, earned 5.4 million views within the first 24 hours, compared to 3.2 million views in April 2018 for Netflix's Lost in Space on its first day of release. While that response is for a free promotional episode, it has been noted by Cinema Blend that, "YouTube Red's new series debuted to numbers that should make rival streaming services take notice."
Soundtrack
Madison Gate Records released the official soundtrack on May 4, 2018. La La Land Records will release the physical version of the soundtrack with additional tracks in June 2018.
Track listing
All music composed by Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson.
References
External links
- Cobra Kai's channel on YouTube
- Cobra Kai on IMDb
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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