The first season of Cobra Kai was released on YouTube Red on May 2, 2018 and consisted of 10 episodes. The series is a sequel to the original films of The Karate Kid franchise, focusing on the characters of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence over 30 years after the original film.
The season follows Johnny Lawrence thirty-three years after his loss to Daniel LaRusso, as he reopens the Cobra Kai dojo and reignites his rivalry with Daniel. The season also follows the lives of Johnny's star student Miguel Diaz as well as his son Robby.
There were six starring roles throughout the season which also featured guest actors returning to the franchise portraying characters from the films. The season received universal acclaim for the performances (particularly those of Macchio, Zabka, and Maridueña), action sequences, and faithfulness to the original films.
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The first season had a positive response from critics. At the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 100% approval rating, with an average score of 7.54 out of 10 based on 48 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "Cobra Kai continues the Karate Kid franchise with a blend of pleasantly corny nostalgia and teen angst, elevated by a cast of well-written characters". Cobra Kai was 2018's best-reviewed TV drama on Rotten Tomatoes. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 72 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
The first episode, which was posted on YouTube for free along with episode two, had been viewed 5.4 million times within the first 24 hours. While it was noted that the response had been, in part, a result of YouTube releasing the episode for free, it was noted by Cinema Blends Britt Lawrence that "YouTube Red's new series debuted to numbers that should make rival streaming services take notice".
Cobra Kai was greenlit in August 2017, with ten half-hour episodes, written and executive produced by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg. Although the series received offers from Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and AMC, it ultimately ended up on the subscription service YouTube Red, which is now YouTube Premium. The trio was joined by executive producers James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett of Overbrook Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Television. YouTube Red released the first season on May 2, 2018.
Ralph Macchio and William Zabka revived their Karate Kid characters, Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. Additional Karate Kid actors included Randee Heller, who reprised her role as Lucille LaRusso (Daniel's mother), and Martin Kove, who revived his role as John Kreese. The cast for the first season was announced in October 2017, and included Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan, and Courtney Henggeler. Ed Asner was cast in a guest role as Johnny's verbally abusive step-father, Sid Weinberg. Vanessa Rubio joined the cast as Miguel's mother in December.
Principal photography for the first season began in October 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. Filming took place at various locations throughout that month at places including Union City, Marietta, and the Briarcliff Campus of Emory University. In November, shooting moved to locales such as the North Atlanta Soccer Association Tophat fields in East Cobb. In December, the production was working out of Marietta and Conyers. Various exterior shots were also filmed in parts of Los Angeles such as Tarzana and Encino. Exterior locations included Golf N' Stuff in Norwalk and the South Seas Apartments in Reseda, both of which were originally featured in The Karate Kid.
The season held its world premiere on April 24, 2018, at the SVA Theatre in New York City, New York, during the annual Tribeca Film Festival. Following the screening, a discussion was held with writers, directors, and executive producers Hayden Schlossberg, Jon Hurwitz, and Josh Heald, in addition to series stars and co-executive producers William Zabka and Ralph Macchio.
On April 25, YouTube partnered with Fathom Events for special screenings of the first two episodes of the season at around 700 movie theaters across the United States. The event also included a screening of the original film.
Madison Gate Records released the official soundtrack on May 4, 2018. La-La Land Records released the physical version of the soundtrack with additional tracks in June. The soundtrack CD was released in Australia on January 8, 2019.