Cobra Kai: Season 2

"It’s not until the second-to-last episode that anything approaching the goofball charm and wit of its freshman season arrives, and by then the entire narrative is so weighed down with the baggage of its sudsy dramatics that the show feels less like a witty relaunch of a beloved film, and more like a 2019 version of Beverly Hills, 90210..."

"There was a pleasantly surprising window where Cobra Kai felt like it was retelling those old stories in a new enough way. The novelty’s gone by now, though."

"Season two is content to repeat many, or even most, of the beats from the first season, only without the freshness and genre-upending sense of surprise. The second season of Cobra Kai is too much of the same made with the expectation that the series can be an underdog forever."

"“Cobra Kai” is simply too accurately a product of that specific ‘80s franchise. Sure, it could change, but why should it? The series remains entertaining despite its flaws, and fortunately it has a hero that negotiates this disconnect between retro mindset and contemporary consciousness."

"Flawed as this second round may be, “Cobra Kai” remains worthwhile viewing with a slew of conversation starters, though perhaps not the ones that made the series worth recommending the first time around. But it remains entertaining enough to merit a sequel, even if only to find out whose way wins out in the end."

"Season 2 of the YouTube series is, if anything, better than the first -- a teen soap, largely, which also packs a wryly nostalgic kick."

"Cobra Kai doesn’t live in the past; instead it hits viewers with bursts of nostalgia endorphins, leaving us giddy and defenseless against the next emotional wallop."