Cobra Kai has been round since 2018, when it debuted on a little-known platform you would possibly’ve heard of named YouTube (properly, YouTube Pink, now often called YouTube Premium). Selecting up 34 years after the occasions of The Karate Kid movies, Cobra Kai reunites its stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka of their roles as Daniel and Johnny to look at what occurs when their rivalry reignites vis-à-vis their teenage youngsters who’re additionally — you guessed it — into karate. As nice because it was on its dwelling channel, its transfer to Netflix for Seasons 1 and a couple of actually helped it take off. Now, a extremely anticipated third season is already on the way in which.
Mixing an nearly unbelievable stage of smarts, appeal, humor, and retro nostalgia, Cobra Kai is as a lot a enjoyable teen drama as it’s a subtle collection for grown-ups. It cleverly flips archetypes on their head, with Daniel shifting to turning into a nasty man and Johnny incomes empathy, and it riffs on what it means to be a person within the 21st century with out being heavy-handed or reinforcing the poisonous tropes of the ’80s. It is extremely bingeable and addictive, making it solely pure to need extra NOW. Since that is not doable simply but, followers of the present can bide their time with comparable choices — 5 of that are beneath.
TV Throwback: The Best Shows to Rewatch Right Now
In search of extra suggestions of what to observe subsequent? We have a ton of them! And in case you’re in search of extra hand-picked suggestions primarily based on exhibits you’re keen on, we have those too.
GLOW
Watch it on: Netflix
Jackie Tohn, Marianna Palka, Rebekka Johnson
On the subject of charming exhibits with ’80s nostalgia and subtly poignant commentary to be made, you possibly can’t go improper with the completely rad Netflix authentic GLOW. A fictional story primarily based on the real-life girls wrestling league of the Reagan period, GLOW stars
an ensemble solid led by Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin. As Ruth “Zoya the Destroya” Wilder and Debbie “Liberty Belle” Eagan, Brie and Gilpin painting actors whose ambitions had been thwarted by institutional sexism and private life decisions. Each Brie and Gilpin — nominated for a Golden Globe, Emmys, and Critics Selection awards between them — make the present’s skillful mix of lightheartedness and severe drama look straightforward to tug off they usually’re simply two of many nice performers who make the present’s unforgettable characters come alive. Every of its three seasons will get higher and extra satisfying because the episodes go on.
Into the Badlands
Watch it on: Netflix
Daniel Wu, Into the Badlands
Wish to see extra of the karate and fewer of the child? This action-adventure collection ran for 3 seasons on AMC and follows a warrior, Sunny (Daniel Wu), and a younger boy, M.Okay. (Aramis Knight), who go on a journey to hunt true enlightenment. Heavy on martial arts and formulation from that style, Into the Badlands after all required its journeymen to battle many, many foes alongside the way in which as they trudge by way of a post-apocalyptic panorama that is the results of a centuries-old battle. Filled with warlords, mystics, and magic, Into the Badlands is full of cinema-level struggle choreography, and engrossing conflicts that make it a compelling drama.
Friday Night Lights
Watch it on: Hulu
Friday Night Lights ran from 2006 to 2011 but this oldie stays a goodie. It is about highschool soccer in Texas, the place highschool soccer is all the things, however it’s additionally about group, obligation, and the generally suffocating ties that bind. Kyle Chandler is damn-near iconic as Coach Taylor, a conflicted household man doing his finest to steer the Dillon Panthers to state in any respect prices; Connie Britton shines as his spouse/steering counselor Tami Taylor; and Taylor Kitsch earns our love repeatedly as Tim Riggins, the proficient athlete fighting alcohol and issues at dwelling. It is far more intense than Cobra Kai however is simply as beloved as a portrait of a group surrounding a sport.
Teenage Bounty Hunters
Watch it on: Netflix
Anjelica Bette Fellini, Kadeem Hardison, and Maddie Phillips, Teenage Bounty Hunters
True to its title, this dramedy follows a pair of excessive schoolers who, properly, grow to be teenage bounty hunters. On the outset, Sterling (Maddie Phillips) and Blair (Anjelica Bette Fellini) are regular teenaged twins doing regular teenaged twin issues after they unintentionally land a job nabbing fugitives to earn money. With Orange Is the New Black‘s Jenji Kohan on as a producer, the collection has that madcap vibe you possibly can’t flip away from even when it goes fully off the hinges. But as Sterling and Blair steadiness loopy adventures with normal coming-of-age rites like relationship and college, identical to Cobra Kai, TBH stays lovable and generally wonderful.
Kickin’ It
Watch it on: Disney+
If you happen to favored Cobra Kai for its family-friendly tackle a dojo in a strip mall, then wait till you get a load of…this family-friendly Disney collection about youngsters doing karate at a dojo in a strip mall! Working on Disney XD from 2011 to 2015, Kickin’ It was a half-hour comedy collection a few crew of children who chop and kick their means by way of classes about life and friendship. In fact, its mousey dwelling community means this one’s rather less gritty and much more PG than Cobra Kai, however the basic appeals are very a lot the identical.