Cobra Kai co-creator Jon Hurwitz addressed complaints about the final season’s release schedule and explained why they made the decision.
Okay, we’re going to put it out there because it’s been the metaphorical elephant in the corner of the room since the release schedule for the sixth and final season of Netflix’s Cobra Kai was released. As you know, the first part is currently streaming, while Part 2 is set for November 15th (moved up from the end of the month), and Part 3 will drop sometime in 2025. Well, it turns out that the reaction was pretty mixed – nothing personally against the Ralph Macchio and William Zabka-starring “Karate Kid” sequel series. We’re talking about the age-old argument between binge-dropping and weekly-releasing seasons – or going with some type of combination of the two. Well, series creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg have heard your comments – more specifically, they’ve seen how many fans have been asking why the season was broken up the way that it was. On Wednesday, Hurwitz took a break from post-production on the final episodes for a social media Q & A – but not before answering that he’s been getting the most lately: “Why don’t you drop the rest of S6 right NOW, you idiot?!?!?”
“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 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!”
Hey Cobras! I’ve been buried in post production lately, but appreciate all the Season 6 love! Have some time for a Q & A today, so let’s do this! To kick things off, I’ll answer the question I’ve been asked the most lately…
Q: Why don’t you drop the rest of S6 right NOW, you…
— Jon Hurwitz (@jonhurwitz) August 14, 2024
