Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Allow me to state the obvious before we officially begin: No show can match the rare combination of action, comedy, and heart possessed by Cobra Kai. Netflix’s Karate Kid revival from the minds of Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg is the gold standard. But if you’re one of the many, many fans who breezed through Season 3 (how incredible was that final scene!?!?), you have a long wait in front of you before Season 4 premieres on Netflix. Co-creator Jon Hurwitz wrote on Twitter that he imagines Season 4 will debut “roughly a year after Season 3.”
“I can feel it coming in the air tonight, (Oh Lord). And I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life, (Oh Lord).”
Cobra Kai fans are in dire need of a few new shows to stream. Decider cobbled together a list of programs that are similar to Cobra Kai, but we also highly recommend a couple of our favorite shows from 2020, including Ted Lasso (Apple TV+), Saved by the Bell (Peacock), Search Party (HBO Max), and High Fidelity (Hulu). No series can replace the Johnny Lawrence-sized hole in our viewing schedule. But if you love Cobra Kai, we think you’ll get a (crane) kick out of these five shows.
'Friday Night Lights'
If you love Cobra Kai, you’ll appreciate the evocative storytelling of Friday Night Lights.
Executive produced by Jason Katims, this small-screen marvel strikes both first and hard as it deftly follows a high school football team in the small town of Dillon, Texas. Much like Cobra Kai, Friday Night Lights celebrates the plight of the underdog as it embraces the chaotic awkwardness of adolescence with humor and heart. The series exudes a steely authenticity that sticks with you long after viewing, and the theatrical performances from the all-star cast (Kyle Chandler! Michael B. Jordan! Connie Britton! Jesse Plemons!) will take your breath away.
A deeply profound series that entertains, inspires, and will even make you shed a few tears, Friday Night Lights is, without a hint of hyperbole, an all-time classic.
'Teenage Bounty Hunters'
Not sure that Teenage Bounty Hunters is for you? Watch the first ten minutes. The cold open of the first episode perfectly encapsulates the crackling humor and unique tone of the series. The refreshing teen comedy is a Decider favorite, with Alex Zalben calling the show “one of the clearest, freshest concepts on TV” in 2020 and noting that stars Maddie Phillips and Anjelica Bette Fellini are “comedic gifts to the world.”
Sadly, Netflix pulled the plug on Teenage Bounty Hunters after one season, but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying all ten episodes of this immensely enjoyable series.
'The Boys'
The Boys is just a hell of a good time. Amazon’s anti-superhero juggernaut is much more gory and vulgar than Cobra Kai, but the character development and killer soundtrack are reminiscent of Netflix’s Karate Kid revival series. Both programs are led by endearing underdogs with more heart than common sense — Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) and Hughie (Jack Quaid) — and feature plots that champion the old “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” ideology.
'Daredevil'
You don’t have to be a fan of superhero shows to enjoy Daredevil. Debuting all the way back in 2015 (which feels like an eternity ago, honestly), the Charlie Cox-led action drama features some of the best fight scenes in television history… and most of them didn’t even take place inside a mall or at the home of a former youth karate champion!
There’s no shortage of superhero content available to stream, but Daredevil is an enjoyable, action-packed adventure worth embarking on.
'On My Block'
Much like Cobra Kai, Netflix’s endlessly entertaining On My Block boasts an extraordinarily passionate fanbase. Streamers don’t just like the show, oh no. They’re obsessed. Premiering in 2018, the coming-of-age comedy follows an endearingly nerdy group of friends navigating the slippery slope of embarrassment and calamity known as high school.
Set in South Central, L.A., the series is an ebullient mix of the indelible folly of youth and harsh realities of modern life. It’s the rare young adult show that can organically toggle between jokes about masturbation and plots centering around the hardships of gang life without the viewer feeling like they’re on a tonal roller coaster.
Bonus recommendations: Wu Assassins, The Umbrella Academy, Kicking It, Everything’s Gonna Be Okay
