Television

YouTube Orders 'Cobra Kai' Season 3, Which Will Be Free To Watch

cobra kai season 3
By Chris Evangelista

YouTube just can't get enough of the Karate Kid sequel series Cobra Kai. Season 2 has only been available for about a week, but the streaming platform has already ordered Cobra Kai season 3. In addition to this news, YouTube has also announced that it will make all of its YouTube Premium originals – including Cobra Kai – free to watch with ads later this year.

Get ready to sweep the leg...again. YouTube Premium has ordered Cobra Kai season 3, giving audiences a chance to continue following the story of Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). Season 1 "takes place 34 years after the original film and follows a down-and-out Johnny Lawrence, who seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo, reigniting his rivalry with a now successful Daniel LaRusso, who has been struggling to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of his now-deceased mentor, Mr. Miyagi. The show is about two men addressing past demons and present frustrations the only way they know how: through karate."

Season 2, which debuted on April 24, "takes place immediately after the events of Season 1 and follows the Cobra Kai Dojo's power struggle between Johnny Lawrence and his former sensai, John Kreese. Season 2 also expands on the plot of Season 1 further by exploring the growth of Johnny's son Robby and Daniel's daughter Sam, and their rivalry between Miguel and Cobra Kai newcomer Tory."

Of all of the YouTube premium shows, Cobra Kai has been the only title to have any real impact. As Variety reports, the streaming service recently cancelled a slew of their shows: Champaign ILL, Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television, Sideswiped, Do You Want to See a Dead Body, Overthinking with Kat & June, Youth & Consequences, and Origin.

This probably explains why YouTube has decided to make the remaining YouTube Premium shows, including Cobra Kai, free to watch with ads later this year. I've yet to watch any seasons of Cobra Kai, but I've heard nothing but good things. Reviewing season 2 for /Film, Meredith Borders wrote:

"With its second season, Cobra Kai does two things most viewers might not expect from a straight-to-YouTube Karate Kid sequel: it delivers stakes as high as Game of Thrones', and it establishes Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) as one of the most fascinating and complicated characters since the likes of Walter White."

There's no premiere date for Cobra Kai season 3 yet, but it will arrive sometime in 2020.

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