How this show even made it to six seasons is beyond me. Most of you probably know about the “hit” Netflix show: Cobra Kai. A spin-off of the Karate Kid franchise whose last movie was so bad they needed to make another one with Ralph Macchio to remind people, “Oh yeah, this exists.”

Cobra Kai follows the antagonist of the first movie, Johnny Lawrence, as it is many years later, and he is still in the shadows of his competitor: Daniel LaRusso. When his hatred of Danny affects his life again, he decides to restart the Cobra Kai brand with his first student, Miguel Diaz.

The first season is very entertaining and a nice return to a once thought to be dead franchise. With that being said, it’s not perfect. If you’re a fan of '80s throwbacks and the nostalgia of Karate Kid every other scene, this is the show for you. It was made for you. If you’re on the fence about it, this show won’t help.

The amount of throwbacks and calls to the past is so annoying. Season 2 came around next and was the same amount of fun as the first season. Except for Daniel LaRusso, who is an overprotective father. Which is one of the 7 things to never turn a character into.

Next on the list is making a character obsessed with another character. (Which is what they did to Danny). After the 4th season, it was starting to be exhausting to see more and more Karate Kid nostalgia. To the point where they bring back old characters from the franchise. Even minor ones that you forgot about until they mentioned them. There are so many pointless cameos in this show that it feels like a Marvel Movie. Some aren’t as pointless, though.

In the later seasons, Old villains like John Kreese and Terry Silver return and are decent villains for the writing and time they had in the show. But they took karate in the show way too seriously. I don’t think anyone in their rational mind would go to the lengths Kreese and Silver go to, all for winning with their dojo. It slowly becomes extremely silly the more they go on as the show progresses.

The characters in the show aren’t bad, either. The teens in the show have a decent journey and growth throughout the show. If there was better writing for some of their moments, then I would praise them. The development process of the characters slows down as the show goes on. In their place are fight scenes and “funny” moments.

But the need for constant action and the jokes made by the teens distract from their character. I wish that the show spent more time building the characters instead of shoving them into constant fights that would happen every episode or two. As for character growth, don’t expect any from the last two seasons. No one changes, apart from one character who I won’t spoil, but man, you’ll be disappointed.

Now for the big question: Did The Karate Kid franchise revive because of Cobra Kai’s release? Is it a good thing or a bad thing? In my opinion, it’s a bad thing. Cobra Kai itself is not bad. It just went on too long. I wish they had ended the show sooner than they did.

But Netflix, like another franchise (Stranger Things), saw an opportunity to make money and decided to beat the corpse of this franchise. If it ended at Cobra Kai, I wouldn’t be against it. But of course, Netflix wants even more money and announced spin-offs to Cobra Kai. Don’t worry, eager reader; they did that for Stranger Things, too. At least Cobra Kai isn’t getting a Broadway show. Hopefully.

To those who are fans of the show, I don’t blame you. I understand its appeal and the need to make fun of it for being dumb at times. But let me ask you: without the Karate Kid tie-in, would you watch it? Probably not, right? The constant draw to it is the nostalgia for viewers and content for social media influencers. I wish the show was shorter and took events more believably. Overall, Cobra Kai as a whole was enjoyable enough for me to take time out of my day to watch, but it lacks any of the spirit and magic of the original Karate Kid.

Cobra Kai Never Dies