YouTube Premium is set to bring back its critically acclaimed hit Cobra Kai this April, and if the new teaser trailer is anything to go buy, Daniel and Johnny are well on their way to becoming the best of enemies all over again. The series is an unlikely hit, successfully continuing the story of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) from the 1984 summer blockbuster The Karate Kid, while also updating the story to fit the needs of YouTube’s premium streaming service in 2018/19.
Cobra Kai also gave the franchise a welcome change in perspective, focusing primarily on where life had taken (and failed) Johnny after his fateful match against Daniel some 30 years prior. The result was a smart, often very funny new series that captured the heart of the original Karate Kid, but made it different enough to appeal to audiences who either hadn’t seen the Karate Kid in years, or hadn’t seen it at all. And now, the series is set to return for a second season, one that will take the rivalry between Johnny’s Cobra Kai Dojo and Daniel’s Miyagi-Do up a notch.
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The teaser feels more like an actual trailer, though it’s likely that YouTube has a longer and more detailed version set to hit the interwebs closer to the April premiere of the new season. Still, there’s plenty to unpack, as everything from the cover of Bananrama’s 1983 single ‘Cruel Summer’ to the differences in how Johnny and Daniel train their students is evocative of what made the original film such a hit. Check out the trailer and read a brief synopsis of the new season below:
All in all, it looks like the series is set to go bigger in its second season, as Daniel appears to be devoting most of his time to the new dojo. That means making commercials that’re not-so subtle digs at how Cobra Kai is being run. Then there’s the continued appearance of Johnny’s old mentor John Kreese (Martin Kove), who seems to be egging his former student on in all the ways that got him into trouble three decades ago. It all adds up to what looks like another great season of a show that shouldn’t work, but definitely does.
“Season 2 brings fans back into the action with Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) after the shocking Season 1 cliffhanger featuring the return of John Kreese (Martin Kove). When a new rivalry between opposing dojos is born in the aftermath of Cobra Kai’s controversial win at the All Valley Championships, Daniel realizes his next countermove is to open his own karate training school called Miyagi-Do, in honor of his mentor Mr. Miyagi.”
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Cobra Kai season 2 premiere on Wednesday, April 24 on YouTube Premium.
