New Cobra Kai trailer drops, Season 3 premieres in January

Much water has rolled under the bridge since Season 2 of Cobra Kai, the popular Karate Kid reboot, was released by YouTube Red on April 24, 2019. For one thing, YouTube Red is now YouTube Premium, and is no longer in the business of producing shows like Cobra Kai. Unsurprisingly, the standout success of the fledgling production house found a new home with streaming juggernaut Netflix. Far more unexpectedly, season 3 was seriously delayed by a global pandemic.

As the martial arts show has progressed, it has moved increasingly toward action—and Season 3 seems to continue that trend, along with a darker edge to the storylines. The villainous John Kreese, played by original actor Martin Kove, looks to be front and center in this season.

It also looks like the stunts are getting bigger and better. With fight choreography by the legendary Hiro Koda and his wife, stunt woman and designer Jahnel Curfman, Cobra Kai has offered audiences high quality fight sequences from the beginning—and earned two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Stunt Coordination for their efforts.

Created by the same team behind Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004), it is unsurprising that Cobra Kai has succeeded as a comedy. Perhaps more unexpected are the dramatic twists that make the show compulsively watchable.

If you haven’t yet given Cobra Kai a look, you have plenty of time before January 8th to catch up with what Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) have been up to since 1984—along with a whole new generation of teenagers growing up in the Valley.