Cobra Kai, a sequel to the 1984 film The Karate Kid, started as a YouTube original show, back when YouTube was still doing that. Five years later, it's one of the biggest series on Netflix, a coming-of-age drama that also catches up with beloved film characters like Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) decades after the fact. Few expected a show with such a quirky pedigree to become as big as it has, but here we are.
Netflix has made an event of the sixth and final season of the show, releasing it in three chunks over the past eight months. Tonight, the final five episodes of the show drop. According to showrunner Jon Hurwitz, they come out at midnight on the east coast, which means you'll have to adjust if you live anywhere else. Here's a quick time zone chart to help. The final-ever episodes of Cobra Kai release at...
- 12:00 midnight PST
- 1:00 a.m. MST
- 2:00 a.m. CST
- 3:00 a.m. EST
We also know the names of the final five episodes: "Into the Fire," "Rattled," "Skeletons," "Strike Last" and "Ex Degenerate." Hurwitz tells fans that, "[i]f you saw the Karate Kid in 1984 or anytime since, you’re not going to want to miss this."
There have been lots of attempts to revive old properties over the years, but most of them don't have the gas they need to keep going. Cobra Kai did, because it served up an original story with new characters while still bringing back the old ones fans remembered and treating them with respect. The show is fun, funny, dramatic and features lots of fight scenes, which always helps. The show has carved out a space for itself in a market where it can be difficult to break through, and for that I commend it. Hopefully Netflix continues its commitment to big, expansive, multi-season shows like this after Cobra Kai is over.
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