Posted in: Netflix, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: cobra kai, karate kid, netflix
Cobra Kai Series Finale Brought Smile, Tears to Co-Creator Jon Hurwitz
Cobra Kai co-creator Jon Hurwitz shared that he screened a cut of the series finale and is "beyond happy with how the final season ends."
With Part 2 set for November 15th (moved up from the end of the month) and Part 3 dropping sometime in 2025, fans of Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg's Cobra Kai still have quite a bit of road ahead of them before the final credits roll – and that's not taking into consideration spinoffs that may be on the way. To help make the wait a little easier, Hurwitz took part in an impromptu Q&A session on Twitter. While covering a wide range of topics regarding the Ralph Macchio and William Zabka-starring "Karate Kid" sequel series, Hurwitz shared that he just recently screened a cut of the final episode. "I'm beyond happy with how the final season ends. I actually watched a cut of the finale this morning and I'm not sure I've ever felt prouder professionally. It's not easy to tell a 65-episode story, especially one that continued a saga that started 40 years ago and is jam-packed with characters and karate," Hurwitz wrote. "I watched the conclusion with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes the whole way through. As for future stories, we'll just have to wait and see…"
Here's a look at Hurwitz's tweet that included his thoughts on seeing how the series ends it run:
Before fielding questions during his social media Q&A, Hurwitz addressed the question that he's been getting a lot lately: "Why don't you drop the rest of S6 right NOW, you idiot?!?!?" The series co-creator offered, "Because the rest of the episodes aren't finished yet, unfortunately. Yes, we finished filming a couple months ago, but a lot more work needs to be done before an episode is ready for your eyes. Editing. Coloring. Visual Effects. Sound Design. ADR. Recording the score with an orchestra. Sound mixing. Etc. And that's all before the show gets dubbed and subtitled in dozens of languages for audiences all around the world," Hurwtiz shared, offering an honest rundown of just how much went into -and is still going into – post-production. "We know that for some of you, it's been frustrating to only have 5 episodes to watch so far. It's frustrating for us, too, because we know the adventure ahead, and we're dying for you to experience it!"
"At the end of the day, we (including our partners) had a choice when it came to the release. 1) Wait until 2025 for audiences to get more Cobra Kai. Or 2) Get the episodes out to audiences much sooner — in batches — as soon as they were ready," Hurwitz continued, offering some insight into the thinking behind the release schedule decision. "Because of the delay between seasons, we all chose the latter and designed each drop with that release in mind. This first drop was the appetizer — the road to the tournament ahead, complete with a few cliffhangers for good measure. :) As for the second and third, you'll unfortunately need to wait a bit longer to see what we have in store. (Drop 2 was recently moved up to November 15th!)."
Hurwitz continued, "The viewing experience is going to be different for different kinds of viewers. Some fans are going to most enjoy the long goodbye — three drops of five, the sooner the better, with time in between to build anticipation. Others will feel off-balance without their usual fix of 10 to mainline. And some won't be satisfied unless they're able to gorge all 15 episodes at once and see how it all ends. All points of view are valid. There's no wrong way to enjoy the show!" The show's co-creator ended his message to the fans with a promise: "All I can promise is that the final 10 episodes are unlike any you've seen before while still being badass and funny and nostalgic and karate-filled. I know you're going to love it!"
Joining Macchio & Zabka on the final run are Martin Kove, Xolo Maridueña, Jacob Bertrand, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan, Peyton List, Gianni DeCenzo, Courtney Henggeler, Vanessa Rubio, Dallas Dupree Young, Yuji Okumoto, Alicia Hannah-Kim, Griffin Santopietro, and Oona O'Brien.