The
Partnership
NO MERCY Left to right: Jacob Bertrand as Hawk, Zabka as Johnny and Xolo Maridueña as Miguel.
How was Cobra Kai initially pitched to you?
chance of possibly tainting the legacy than enhanc-
is that Daniel and Johnny are actually very similar.
William Zabka: The creators, Josh Heald, Jon
ing the legacy. So, we met in New York City and I
Depending on which sensei they went with, is where
Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, emailed me out of the
was stirred by their initial description of, “OK, we’re
their lives went. So just because it was happily ever
blue and said they had a project that they wanted
pitching this story not necessarily through the eyes
after for LaRusso at the onset and down the rabbit
to discuss. I had worked with Josh on Hot Tub Time
of Daniel LaRusso at the onset.” Then I called Billy
hole of hell for poor Johnny Lawrence, when you start
Machine so I assumed it was some comedy that
the next morning to talk about it and we mirrored
flipping these angles, you start seeing the flaws and
was brand new, but they sat me down in a Mexican
each other’s concerns that we wanted to make sure
the good heartedness in both. And I think at this
restaurant and pitched Cobra Kai to me. And so
our characters’ integrity was upheld. But the timing
point of the series, that’s really come to the surface
that’s how I heard about it and I was stirred. Though
was just right. Creed had just come out and was
in a great way.
I had a lot of questions, especially what was the tone
quite successful from a perspective of entering the
Zabka: Johnny Lawrence was the villain of the movie.
of the show, because The Karate Kid is a beloved film
Rocky universe through the eyes of Apollo Creed’s
He got a crane kick to his face, and for 35 years I’ve
for the family. It’s got a good heart and this version
kid. Looking at it now, everything just came together
been carrying the torch of the quintessential ’80s
sounded a little like it’s would go into an R-rated
beyond our expectations.
asshole. So for me, I stepped in very gingerly wanting to make sure that they were going to humanize
reverence for The Karate Kid, and what they pitched
When Cobra Kai started, the biggest surprise
Johnny, that they weren’t going to double down on
was a merger of current and still had the emotion
was seeing Johnny Lawrence as the series
his dickness, that he was going to have a heart and a
and all the sentiment of The Karate Kid mixed in.
underdog. Now that we’re heading into Season
redemption arc, but with layers, and humanity.
Ralph Macchio: I was like, “I’ve heard my share
4, it finally looks like Johnny and Daniel are on
of why we should go back to the well with Daniel
equal footing.
Kid never existed, this show could still exist. Even
LaRusso,” at some point over three decades, but
Macchio: When we started Season 1, Johnny was
though we have The Karate Kid as our backstory,
nothing was ever really interesting. They were always
always the angle into the show and then these
but in many ways, this is a brand new story of two
short sighted, one-off ideas that would have a bigger
characters would flesh out. But what you discover
men trying to make peace with their past, and
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D E A D L I N E .C O M / AWA R D S L I N E
What I love about this show is that if The Karate
COU RT ESY OF N E TF LI X
comedy side. But the guys were super fans and had a