Netflix's schedule has always been something of a guessing game for fans. Although some shows lean toward arriving at specific times of the year, like The Crown — which has consistently shown up around November/December — others, like Stranger Things, are all over the place. Further, with the coronavirus pandemic upending filming schedules, fans have learned to roll with the punches in terms of waiting for new seasons of their favorites to turn up. But there's good news for the lovers of martial arts: Cobra Kai Season 4 isn't just guaranteed to come back; its release date is slated for 2021.
Cobra Kai wasn't initially a Netflix series. Like You, another surprise runaway hit for the streamer, it was initially developed elsewhere. In Cobra Kai's case, it started on YouTube. But YouTube execs decided, despite the show's success, that the platform's interests lay elsewhere. So the show wound up moving to Netflix, with its first two seasons premiering on the streamer in mid-2020 and Season 3 landing in the first week of 2021.
With so much Cobra Kai in such a short span, fans might forgive Netflix for not having new episodes ready anytime soon. But the show has evidently been lucky in its filming schedule. The series has been confirmed as part of Netflix's list of titles coming before the end of the year.
So far, all fans know is that the main cast of the series will return. That starts with the two leaders of the dojos, William Zabka as Johnny and Ralph Macchio as Daniel. Also slated to return: Xolo Maridueña as Miguel, Mary Mouser as Samantha, Tanner Buchanan as Robby, Jacob Bertrand as "Hawk," Peyton List as Tory, and Gianni Decenzo as Demetri. Martin Kove will also return as Johnny and Daniel's common enemy, John Kreese.
There are theories that Thomas Ian Griffith and/or Sean Kanan will show up as Terry Silver and Mike Barnes, respectively, this season, after only being seen in archival footage so far, but none of that is confirmed.
Unlike Season 3, which was a bit of a mystery before it debuted, the plot of Season 4 was laid out in the Season 3 finale by Kreese. The teams will compete in the All Valley Karate Tournament. The winner gets to stay in the martial arts game, and the loser leaves town.
Our heroes in this battle will be the combined forces of Daniel's Miyagi-do and Johnny's Eagle Fang: Miguel, Sam, Demitri, and Hawk. They'll be squaring off against Tori, Robby, and Kyler.
There is no official release date as of yet for Cobra Kai Season 4, but Netflix has confirmed it will be arriving in "Q4." That means fans should be on the lookout for a premiere sometime between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2021.
