Cobra Kai, a spin-off from the iconic movie “The Karate Kid” that has left audiences speechless. Set in an ‘80s tone, it is a fantastic reminder of a filming style lost in most modern-day television shows.

Season one of “Cobra Kai” first launched on May 2, 2018, originally part of YouTube Red subscription programming, and it was such a hit that two more seasons of the show were produced after the original airing date. The series was then picked up by Netflix in June of 2020 with the airing of the third season on Jan. 1, 2021. Creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitze and Hayden Schlossberg have designed a unique series that stars many of the original actors from “The Karate Kid”, produced by Jerry Weintraub in 1984. Although Cobra Kai does take place 30 years after the All Valley High karate tournament at the end of the movie, it still has an 80’s feel and twists and turns with over the top arch-nemeses.

Alan Sepinwall from Rolling Stone wrote, “The first season was a minor miracle: a shameless nostalgia play that cleverly kept mixing and matching elements from the first movie in a way that made it feel, if not new, then somehow full of life again after all those years away.”

Recast in their original roles, Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso) and William Zabka (Johnny Lawrence) find that each of their fortunes has turned. Daniel has become a hot-shot car salesman with a wife and kids, and Johnny has become a “loser” so to speak still trying to find his way in life. As the series continues on, fate brings a young high school student into Johnny’s life Xolo Maridueña (Miguel). From there the series continues on in classic karate kid style, with strong bonds being formed between senseis and students, and new and old characters being introduced in almost every episode. These facts have made this show a must-see for most critics and television enthusiasts. An average of 93% of all critics on Rotten Tomatoes have given Cobra Kai a positive rating, and this gives Cobra Kai fans great hopes for a fantastic fourth season, and to see what happens to villain Martin Kove (John Kreese).

Brady Langmann of Esquire said, “The final moments of Season Three set up a future for the show that’ll double its stakes. Mainly: Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence finally, truly team up, merging their karate schools, in one last push to rid the Valley of John Kreese. It’ll probably take us all the way until the premiere of Cobra Kai’s fourth season to recover from it all.”

No matter what season four of Cobra Kai brings, the first three seasons have already grabbed the hearts of audience members. Seeing the struggles of the characters and the determination of good wanting to triumph over evil, this show brings attention to the ideas of having good character and honor in the field of not only karate but to life in general. Also, the fact that all the flashbacks in the series are old scenes from the first two “ The Karate Kid” movies, brings warmth to audience members as it takes everyone who watches the show back to the ‘80s era.

Jen Yamato of the Los Angeles Times wrote, “Likable characters, high-energy fights, suburban melodrama, and ’80s dad-rock have fueled the three seasons of “Cobra Kai,” with a fourth already planned — and its semi-satirical approach to slinging nostalgia while expanding the “Karate Kid” mythology into a multigenerational saga has proved popular.”
All in all, most people agree that this is a show worth seeing, especially if you are a fan of karate, and the 80’s era-like filming and scripts. This is a great show to watch with family or friends, and it is a good way to escape from everyday life. Hopefully, season four of Cobra Kai will bring the same joy to fans as the first three seasons and will have more surprises, once again leaving everyone who watches the series speechless.