Cobra Kai creator on 3-part season 6 release: 'It keeps the party going'
The final chapter will have a staggered rollout on Netflix – and here's why.
Cobra Kai co-creator Hayden Schlossberg has explained why the final season of the Karate Kid sequel series is coming to Netflix in three parts, with each one separated by a gap of several months.
The concluding chapter of the sleeper hit show will see the teens of Miyagi-Do compete in the Sekai Taikai – an international karate tournament bringing together some of the best fighters from around the world.
Former rivals Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) will pool their expertise to mentor the kids through their toughest challenge yet – and fans are excited to see who will come out on top.
However, they will have a long time to wait for those answers, with Thursday's five-episode drop set to be followed by part 2 in November and part 3 at an as-yet-unspecified time in 2025.
In an interview with RadioTimes.com, Schlossberg explained the thinking behind this unconventional release strategy, revealing that the show's usual 10 episodes simply wouldn't be enough to wrap up the show's various storylines.
More like this
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
He explained: "When we made our first season of Cobra Kai, people would ask us, 'Well, how many more seasons can you do with this show?' And we actually said back in the day, in our minds, it was like six or seven.
"We didn't know all the details of everything that we were going to write, but we felt that the show could go on that long."
Schlossberg continued: "By the time we got to season 5, it felt sure enough that we were reaching that place; we were getting into endgame territory.
"And when we talked to Netflix, we felt like one season – 10 episodes – is not going to be enough to finish this up.
"[But] it's a lot to make 20 episodes, and we didn't want to wait too long in terms of how they get released and how they all go out. And so 15 became a good number, like a supersize season, to pay off all these characters that we've set up."
The screenwriter and producer went on to say that having three blocks of five episodes to write was consistent with the approach that the Cobra Kai team has always taken, with plenty of dramatic moments to ensure each part packs a punch.
"As soon as we decided on 15, the five-five-five split-up made sense to us because we do write in five-episode arcs…
"If you look at seasons 1-5, everything that's in the beginning of episode 1 or 2 comes to a head in episode 5," said Schlossberg.
"And things change for the second half of the season. And so we were used to writing towards a big mid-season finale."
He added: "And we liked the idea for fans, also, because five episodes for this show is about three hours, so it's a good binge. Whereas 15 episodes all at once is just impossible.
"So it gives fans a good binge spread out from now into 2025 – to keep the party going [and] satiate fans with new episodes."
Cobra Kai season 6 sees the return of Macchio and Zabka as well as young stars Xolo Maridueña (Blue Beetle), Tanner Buchanan (How to Date Billy Walsh) and Peyton List (School Spirits), among others.
Cobra Kai season 6 part 1 is available to stream on Netflix from Thursday 18th July 2024. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
