TMC
01-23-2023, 09:18 PM
https://www.looper.com/1176040/how-cobra-kai-figured-out-the-recipe-to-revive-a-tired-old-ip/
BY SAM SKOPP/JAN. 23, 2023 3:32 PM EST
On January 20, Netflix released a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVYAh0MQtiI) announcing "Cobra Kai" Season 6 and confirming that this will be the final "Cobra Kai" season (https://www.looper.com/1173919/cobra-kai-to-land-its-final-crane-kick-with-season-6-why-its-the-right-time/). Fortunately for the show's fanbase, "Cobra Kai" looks to be ending on a high note. Numerous glowing reviews for "Cobra Kai" Season 5 (https://www.looper.com/1000823/the-stunning-response-to-cobra-kai-season-5-just-confirms-what-we-suspected-all-along/) described it as the series' best, culminating in Season 5 becoming one of the best-reviewed for a Netflix original in the streaming service's history (via Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2022/09/11/cobra-kai-season-5-is-netflixs-best-reviewed-show-since-heartstopper/)).
In a vacuum, "Cobra Kai" might not seem like smash hit material. After all, the "Karate Kid" franchise that serves as its foundation floundered for the majority of the thirty-plus years between its first film's release and the "Cobra Kai" premiere. While "The Karate Kid" itself is a family-friendly classic, critical and audience reviews alike are middling for its immediate sequel in "The Karate Kid Part II" (via Rotten Tomatoes (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karate_kid_part_2)). Moving forward, while each subsequent entry has its merits, no other "Karate Kid" movie ever garnered anything akin to the acclaim for the first franchise entry.
"Cobra Kai," then, succeeded both because of the popularity of the first "Karate Kid" movie and in spite of the fact that every prior attempt to recapture its particular brand of magic more-or-less failed. In a media landscape constantly rehashing popular IP — for better or, as is more often the case, for worse — "Cobra Kai" stands out as perhaps the premiere example of how to do it right, thanks largely to a complex and intelligent relationship with its source material.
BY SAM SKOPP/JAN. 23, 2023 3:32 PM EST
On January 20, Netflix released a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVYAh0MQtiI) announcing "Cobra Kai" Season 6 and confirming that this will be the final "Cobra Kai" season (https://www.looper.com/1173919/cobra-kai-to-land-its-final-crane-kick-with-season-6-why-its-the-right-time/). Fortunately for the show's fanbase, "Cobra Kai" looks to be ending on a high note. Numerous glowing reviews for "Cobra Kai" Season 5 (https://www.looper.com/1000823/the-stunning-response-to-cobra-kai-season-5-just-confirms-what-we-suspected-all-along/) described it as the series' best, culminating in Season 5 becoming one of the best-reviewed for a Netflix original in the streaming service's history (via Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2022/09/11/cobra-kai-season-5-is-netflixs-best-reviewed-show-since-heartstopper/)).
In a vacuum, "Cobra Kai" might not seem like smash hit material. After all, the "Karate Kid" franchise that serves as its foundation floundered for the majority of the thirty-plus years between its first film's release and the "Cobra Kai" premiere. While "The Karate Kid" itself is a family-friendly classic, critical and audience reviews alike are middling for its immediate sequel in "The Karate Kid Part II" (via Rotten Tomatoes (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/karate_kid_part_2)). Moving forward, while each subsequent entry has its merits, no other "Karate Kid" movie ever garnered anything akin to the acclaim for the first franchise entry.
"Cobra Kai," then, succeeded both because of the popularity of the first "Karate Kid" movie and in spite of the fact that every prior attempt to recapture its particular brand of magic more-or-less failed. In a media landscape constantly rehashing popular IP — for better or, as is more often the case, for worse — "Cobra Kai" stands out as perhaps the premiere example of how to do it right, thanks largely to a complex and intelligent relationship with its source material.