YouTube Red recently brought back a beloved piece of the 80s with Cobra Kai, and the service has just signaled it's not ready to leave The Karate Kid revival series behind anytime soon. The crane-kicking show was renewed for Season 2, which means more Johnny, more Daniel, more Miguel and everyone else in the cast that has made this blast from the past such a delight. As the series ominously teased in the Season 1 finale -- no spoilers -- it would appear the real story of Cobra Kai has only just begun!
Cobra Kai's renewal for Season 2 didn't take long at all, as the news comes less than a week after the show's premiere on May 4. YouTube re-upped the series for another 10 episodes, and said that new episodes are expected to hit its lineup in 2019. Although no specific timetable was given, THR reports that production on Season 2 is set to begin in the fall, which may indicate the series is looking to return sooner in 2019 than later.
Cobra Kai's success was evident from the start, as the premiere episode for The Karate Kid continuation stands at 20 million views, less than a week following the show's premiere. That was helped along by it being free for everyone to watch, while view counts for the episodes locked behind the YouTube Red paywall aren't available to be seen by all. Still, they're definitely getting watched, since the overwhelming acclaim from critics and audiences, combined with YouTube's fast renewal, indicate the series is one of the most successful shows the platform has released to date. Cobra Kai boasted of the show's accolades on its own channel with a Season 2 announcement video, which might just be the perfect personification of fan response (as it were) when a beloved slice of pop culture gets a proper revival:
Fans are understandably excited for the renewal of Cobra Kai, but it's hard to say whether or not anyone could be any more excited than YouTube right now. The platform took a big chance with the show and outbid rivals like Netflix and Amazon for the rights, and its gamble seems to have paid off, much like customers at Daniel's car dealership. With any luck, the show's continued success may encourage even more promising new projects to choose YouTube Red over other platforms, which would then encourage more consumers to add the premium service to their growing list of must-have subscription services.
Season 1 of Cobra Kai is now streaming on YouTube Red. For a list of other things that are on their way to streaming, check out our Netflix and Amazon premiere guides. Those looking for a more generalized list of upcoming television can see what's available at our summer premiere guide. For more on Cobra Kai, check out how the series has paid homage to the late Pat Morita and his beloved character Mr. Miyagi.
