Interview: ‘Cobra Kai’ creators on the legacy of ‘The Karate Kid’ and that killer cameo in season 3 [VIDEO]
Cobra Kai wouldn’t exist without the return of Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso and William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence. The legacy of The Karate Kid films of the 1980s have lasted long past simple nostalgia and are are a part of the fabric of pop culture.
Cobra Kai takes place 34 after events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, a down-and-out Johnny Lawrence seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai dojo, reigniting his rivalry with a now successful Daniel LaRusso. But from season 1’s LaRusso vs Lawrence rivalry reignited, the show has opened up to surprising alliances and old villains that are new again.
I talked with Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald and Hayden Schlossberg about the endurance of The Karate Kid and its themes, heading to Japan with Ralph Macchio, Tamlyn Tomita and Yuji Okumoto, finding shading in John Kreese’s backstory and that long-awaited cameo from the past that will be a fan favorite of the Miyagi-verse.
Full spoiler talk here, viewer beware. Cobra Kai‘s third season is currently available to stream exclusively on Netflix.
Cobra Kai image courtesy of Curtis Bonds Baker/Netflix
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- Interview: ‘Pillion’ Director Harry Lighton and Star Harry Melling Bring Kink to the Mainstream - February 19, 2026
- Prime Video Announces Ensemble Cast of ‘Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat’ - February 19, 2026
- Academy Announces 27 Recipients From Wētā, ILM, DreamWorks Animation and More for Scientific and Technical Achievements - February 18, 2026
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 140 – ‘A Couch in New York’ (Chantal Akerman, 1996) 
Interview: ‘Pillion’ Director Harry Lighton and Star Harry Melling Bring Kink to the Mainstream 
Prime Video Announces Ensemble Cast of ‘Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat’ 
Academy Announces 27 Recipients From Wētā, ILM, DreamWorks Animation and More for Scientific and Technical Achievements