The Karate Kid Part III disappointed moviegoers in 1989, and after two lukewarm reboots in 1994 and 2010, the movie franchise appeared dead. But in 2022, five seasons of Cobra Kai on Netflix are proof that no franchise is ever permanently dead. Not only did the show's creative team successfully revisit the Karate Kid story, but the series is actually good -- so good that people are annoyed that it has no connection to the upcoming Karate Kid movie.
The story of how Cobra Kai moved from YouTube to Netflix is unique. It was the flagship series of a failed service from the original video streaming site and found a second life at the streamer that perfected the model. And at a time when fandoms couldn't be angrier at their franchises, Cobra Kai is one that audiences, critics and hardcore fans all seem to like. The series is able to bring back characters and settings from previous installments while also telling a new and interesting story. Cobra Kai represents a changing tide in the entertainment business and fandom. Like Doctor Manhattan said: "Nothing ever ends."
A Second Chance for Every Franchise
The trend of revisiting popular characters shows no sign of slowing down, particularly when it comes to franchises. Both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield played Spider-Man again. Ben Affleck will return as Batman in Aquaman: King of Atlantis. Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman said 2017's Logan would be their final outings as Professor X and Wolverine -- yet Stewart showed up in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Jackman was just announced for Deadpool 3. The former is also entering the third season of Star Trek: Picard after not having played Jean-Luc Picard since 2002.
With the advent of streaming, old franchises can find new audiences while keeping the one they had. Carrie Bradshaw and most of the ladies of Sex and the City got two feature films after their original series run before returning for And Just Like That. The revival was renewed for a second season on HBO even though it wasn't necessary. Invariably each attempt's mileage will vary. Some View Askew fans will absolutely love Clerks III and others may hate it. Yet the fact that any of them are still going at all is a miracle.
Films and shows that were great will always be great, regardless of how actors or producers try to keep the party going. Fans of Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi only had six hours of their story for most of their lives. Now they get nearly six hours of new story per year thanks to Cobra Kai. The same is true for Ghostbusters, Star Wars or even lesser-represented fandoms like the kids who really loved Willow. Whether or not audiences enjoy the new material, nothing can ever change what made a franchise special in the first place.
Yet like Cobra Kai, most reboots or late-blooming sequels justify their existence by delivering both a new story and what made fans love the original. these established franchises have a chance to open new doors. It's an exciting time in entertainment, because anything someone loved back in the day could find new life by trending on Twitter long enough.
Five seasons of Cobra Kai are now streaming on Netflix. The series has yet to be renewed for Season 6.