Netflix’s 6-Part Action Series Is One Of Its Best Shows To Binge

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Netflix has a great selection of action shows, but one of the best isn’t actually a Netflix original. Reacher, which first appeared on Prime Video, has become a hugely popular action series, earning praise from both critics and viewers alike. It’s based on the novels by Lee Child.

Netflix is also working hard to become a leader in action-thriller shows. Its series The Night Agent successfully captures the appeal of Reacher, and the platform offers several classic action titles worth watching again. A great example is Cobra Kai, which continues the story of The Karate Kid.

Netflix’s Karate Kid Spinoff Cobra Kai Is Ideal For Binge-Watching

Surprisingly, Cobra Kai didn’t begin as a Netflix series. The show was created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg – the team behind Hot Tub Time Machine and the Harold & Kumar movies – and its first two seasons actually premiered on YouTube Red before moving to Netflix.

Instead of revisiting the classic underdog story of Daniel LaRusso from The Karate Kid, Cobra Kai brilliantly reimagines the tale from the perspective of Johnny Lawrence, the original movie’s seemingly one-dimensional villain. The series takes Lawrence, who was portrayed as a simple cliché in the 1984 film, and transforms him into a complex, sympathetic, and even heartbreaking character struggling with his past.

When Johnny unexpectedly starts mentoring a group of kids being bullied, he rediscovers his passion for karate and opens a dojo. This challenges Daniel to open his own dojo, and the resulting rivalry is complicated and nuanced. It allows both characters, who were once fairly simple, to grow into more complex and compelling individuals with satisfying journeys.

Cobra Kai’s Success Caused An Unlikely Issue For The Karate Kid Franchise

The idea behind Cobra Kai seems simple at first, but like comedies such as Hot Tub Time Machine and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, the show cleverly expands on its central premise to explore surprisingly thoughtful themes about harmful ideas about masculinity, the challenges of growing up, and dealing with past mistakes. Plus, it has fantastic fight scenes!

Despite its surprising popularity, Cobra Kai‘s success unfortunately overshadowed the original Karate Kid movies. When re-watched, those films now seem surprisingly simple, and the 2025 reboot, Karate Kid: Legends, didn’t manage to recreate the thoughtful storylines and heartfelt emotion that made the Cobra Kai series on Netflix so compelling.

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2026-04-07 21:49