First, Wash All Car. Then, Wax On, Wax off!

Kaleidoscope's latest is on Sony Pictures Television's & YouTube Red's production of "Cobra Kai".  The series stars Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Courtney Henggeler, Xolo Mariduena, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan, & Martin Kove.  Rated 'TV-14", the first 2 seasons are now available on Netflix.  A 3rd will be released in 2021.

This series occurs in a contemporary setting and depicts how Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) & Johnny Lawrence (Zabka) have fared since their epic fight at the All-Valley Karate Championship during "The Karate Kid" when it was released in 1984.  Daniel now owns a number of Luxury Car dealerships under the banner of LaRusso Luxury Motors; has a beautiful wife, Amanda (Henggeler), a daughter Samantha (Mouser), & a son; lives in an estate home; yet, still remembers & honors the legacy of his sensei, Mr. Miyagi.  Johnny is a broken man; works as a handyman; lives in a sparsely furnished apartment, has little to do with his ex-wife, is estranged from his son, Robby (Buchanan), & has only bad memories of his sensei, John Kreese (Kove), whom he believes is dead.  Seasons 1 & 2 have now dropped on Netflix, & the pleasure is all ours.

This is a superb series that is not just an exercise in nostalgia.  Yes, we who lived through the 80's, & the generations that have come after, who have seen & loved the original and its 1986 & 1989 sequels (but NOT the 1994 "Next Karate Kid" with Hilary Swank nor the wretched 2010 remake with Jaden Smith & Jackie Chan) can revel in reminiscence of the original 3.  But, this wonderful series is so much more.  Whereas the 84 version had Johnny presumably coming from a well-to-do family & Daniel from a poor one, here the roles are reversed--and believably so.  Whereas the 84's POV was Daniel's, here it is more so Johnny's as he seeks redemption for his failure as a student of karate, as a worker, as a husband, as a father, &, especially, as a man.  Daniel also seeks a bit of redemption; that is, was his victory over Johnny just a fluke or was he truly better?  As Johnny reopens a dojo, which he once again calls the 'Cobra Kai', there is a subplot between Johnny's first student Miguel, that he sees as potentially being even a better student than he was, and his son Robby, who eventually finds his way to being a student of Daniel's as Daniel opens his own dojo, in his spare time, that he calls 'Miagi Do'  Throughout the 1st & 2nd seasons' 20 episodes. new characters are introduced that continue to add levels to the reboot.  The acting is spot-on throughout.  Macchio & Zabka comfortably & credibly slide right back into their old roles, & we relish every minute of it.  The parallel characters & their actors' performances enrich the story throughout.  A nice production recurrence is the use of the Miyagi/LaRusso musical leitmotif that is used sparingly but at appropriate times.  Show-runners & creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, & John Heald have done a truly sensational job of resurrecting & expanding on the story & characters that earned them 2 primetime Emmy nominations, 3 IGN Summer Movie Award nominations, & 2 Teen Choice Award nominations.

I give "Cobra Kai" 9 out of 10 nuggets.  My wife & I watched all 20 episodes in 2 days, & we could have easily sat through another 20 or 30.  If you have Netflix, check out 'Daniel-san' & company asap!  If you do not have Netflix, see if there is a free 7-day preview.  It should not take you more than 2 or 3 days to breeze through the 2 seasons!