Why Was Cobra Kai Season 3 Only 10 Episodes? Fans Complain

Cobra Kai is a Netflix show, so episode releases are not the same as normal television programs. Netflix opts to release entire seasons all at once to encourage binge-watching, which the platform has become notorious for. Unfortunately for Cobra Kai fans that means that there is only one batch of episodes this year.

Additionally, Cobra Kai’s season are short, coming in at only 10 episodes. Because Cobra Kai started out as one of the first streaming series on Youtube Red, the first season was experimental to see if the platform could even work. Now the show has moved to Netflix but they have chosen to stick to the same 10 episodes per season model.

In addition to sticking to their model, there are a few other reasons that Cobra Kai has such a limited amount of episodes.

Broadcast networks no longer dominate television

GettyThe cast of ‘Cobra Kai’ attends the premiere screening and conversation of YouTube Original’s “Cobra Kai” Season 2 at The Paley Center for Media

For years broadcast networks controlled every aspect of television. A part of that was the amount of episodes that would be produced per season of a show. According to an article on Vulture.com, the standard amount of episodes per season used to be 22. They say that “Programmers needed as many episodes as possible to ensure they had enough content to fill the nine-month season that ran between September and May.”

Since then, the television industry has changed, particularly with the rise of cable networks like HBO. HBO programs like The Sopranos began airing with 13-episode seasons. The shortened run allowed for easier scheduling, as well as less production. In the Vulture article Charlie Collier, former president at AMC, says that cable networks “would look for the window, no matter the length, where we thought our storytelling could stand out.”

The number of episodes per season has continued to shrink over the years with networks experimenting with ten episode and even eight episode seasons. Shorter runs have also allowed for smaller commitments from talent, which enables shows to attract bigger stars, like Matthew McConaughey’s eight episode run on HBO’s True Detective.

There will be more Cobra Kai  in the near future

GettyWilliam Zabka, Martin Kove, Xolo Maridueña, Ralph Macchio, Tanner Buchanan and Mary Mouser speak onstage at San Diego Comic-Con 2019

Fortunately for Cobra Kai fans, Netflix has given the show a home for the immediate future. Following the second season, Youtube announced that they were going to begin phasing out the Youtube Red platform and focus more on individual creators. That meant that Cobra Kai was available for a new streaming service to take on.

According to an article on digitalspy.com, “The script for season four has been in the works for months, and Cobra Kai writer Jon Hurwitz said they were hoping to start shooting very soon.” Hurwitz mentions that they hope to get back to filming in early 2021, as long as COVID-19 protocols allow them to. Additionally, Hurwitz mentioned that season 4 will likely release a year after season 3, meaning we can expect it to come out sometime in 2022.

Even though each season of Cobra Kai has come out in batches of ten episodes it sounds like the creators have plenty more story to tell. According to the same digital spy article, “Cobra Kai star Ralph Macchio, who plays Daniel-san, had already said that they have planned out Cobra Kai up to series six.” Six seasons of Cobra Kai could see the plot go in a variety of directions that nobody is anticipating, and will be fun to watch.

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