‘Cobra Kai’ gets early season 5 renewal from Netflix

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‘Cobra Kai’ season four launches on Netflix in December, and more will be on the way after that.

Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) come face to face while Kreese (Martin Kove) waits for them to fight.
(Image credit: Netflix)

The team behind Cobra Kai probably feel like the best around today, as Netflix has officially renewed the Karate Kid-inspired series for a fifth season, months before season four is even set to debut on the streaming service.

Set 30 years after the events of the original Karate Kid movies, Cobra Kai follows Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso as they renew their martial arts rivalry, teaching a new batch of students either in the ways of the Cobra Kai dojo or with Mr. Miyagi’s style of martial arts. Things get complicated when other figures from the past arrive, including Cobra Kai’s original sensei John Kreese and, for season four, Karate Kid Part III villain Terry Silver. 

The fourth season of Cobra Kai, which is expected to deal heavily with the All Valley Karate Tournament, will debut on Netflix in December, though a specific date has not yet been confirmed.

Cobra Kai stars original Karate Kid actors William Zabka and Ralph Macchio. Other members of the cast include Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan, Courtney Henggeler, Xolo Maridueña, Jacob Bertrand, Gianni DeCenzo, Peyton List, as well as Martin Kove and Thomas Ian Griffin reprising their Karate Kid roles as Kreese and Silver, respectively.

The early renewal for Cobra Kai shows how popular the show has become on Netflix. Originally created for YouTube, Cobra Kai made the switch to Netflix full-time in 2020. For season three it was nominated for four Primetime Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series. It was also a big hit with fans, as it was the second most streamed show the week of the season three debut, according to Nielsen.

Cobra Kai’s Twitter page shared the news, including a bad-ass looking logo for season five.

Cobra Kai has become one of Netflix’s marquee original titles, along with the likes of Stranger Things, The Crown, Bridgerton and The Witcher. You can catch up with the entirety Cobra Kai, or any of these shows, on Netflix right now.

Watch the teaser trailer for Cobra Kai season four below.

Michael Balderston
Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.