Fans of Cobra Kai, the TV spinoff series of the movie classic The Karate Kid, are getting a Christmas present from Netflix, as the streaming service announced that it is releasing all 10 episodes of Season 3 on Jan. 1, a full week before it was originally scheduled to air.
According to Comicbook.com, Netflix made the surprising announcement on Christmas Eve morning, and now people can ring in the new year with Johnny, Daniel and the rest of the Cobra Kai universe.
And it wasn’t just a simple press release that let people know the information; Netflix enlisted William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence himself to announce the good news.
In typical Johnny fashion, he’s shown trying to figure out how to work the Internet—something he’s proven in the first two seasons that he has no idea how to do. His motive is simple—he wants to release the third season of Cobra Kai to fans as early as possible.
There was also a written message from the infamous karate teacher, who noted he was excited to make it happen, as long as people could keep his secret.
“QUIET! I heard you all whining about Season 3 taking forever. So I called the pawn shop and the guy walked me through this Netflix thing,” Zabka said in character. “Dude knows his stuff. Now you get it a week early. See you Jan 1, nerds.”
Although production on Season 3 was finished more than a year ago, YouTube, its original home, sold the series to Netflix and the streaming giant wanted to build some momentum towards the new season, so they’ve been waiting as people caught up on the first two seasons.
Details about the new season have been out there for months, with Daniel LaRusso apparently headed back to Okinawa, the home of Mr. Miyagi, and will reunite with an old friend (Kumiko) and foe (Chozen) along the way. Both of these characters were a big part of The Karate Kid Part II.
Expect lots of action and nostalgia as Daniel and Johnny move more towards frenemy territory.
