Posted Friday, May 11, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
YouTube Red, the subscription service for YouTube, has quickly renewed "Cobra Kai" for a second season.
The continuation of "The Karate Kid" story, shot in Atlanta but based fictionally in Los Angeles, is surprisingly good and the fans embraced it. The first episode, available free, has been viewed 22 million times in just nine days with 172,000 thumbs up vs. 38,000 thumbs down. On imdb, viewers have given it an impressive 9.2 out of 10 and 8.9 out of 10 on Metacritic.
The series brings back Ralph Macchio as original Danny LaRusso and William Zabka as rival Johnny Lawrence. It's more than 30 years later and Johnny's life is in a rut until he opens his own Cobra Kai dojo and causes Danny to lose sight of his own priorities.
The ten-episode half-hour series will begin production for season two this fall and return in 2019. A spokeswoman said where the show will be produced hasn't been finalized but there doesn't appear to be any indication it will be moved to another state.
"This series had all of the right elements from the very beginning -- compelling characters, a storied rivalry, and the talented original stars," said Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Original Content, YouTube. "The way viewers have embraced the new twist on this beloved franchise has been nothing short of amazing, and we're thrilled to partner with Sony TV, Overbrook and the extraordinary creative team led by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg to create a second season."
Another YouTube Red series shot in Atlanta "Step Up High Water" came out in January and is based on the dance films. But in comparison to "Cobra Kai," it has not received a renewal as of yet. Its free first episode has only been seen about 8 million times and it has been out for more than three months.
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