Cobra Kai season 6 part 3 is now streaming on Netflix, as of Thursday, Feb. 13. Fans are binge-watching the final episodes of the Netflix original series, and many are shocked to learn the final release is only five episodes.
It's been a long time coming for the final season of Cobra Kai. Netflix renewed the series for a sixth and final season way back in January 2023, so that season will finally finish more than two years after work started for Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and the rest of the creative team.
Officially, Cobra Kai season 6 comes to an end with 15 episodes, which makes it the longest season of the series and the longest season of a Netflix original scripted series in a long time. Cobra Kai season 6 was released in three parts beginning on July 18, 2024. Season 6 part 2 was released on Nov. 15.
So, why did Netflix switch things up with Cobra Kai season 6 with an extended order? Well, thankfully, the creators of Cobra Kai cleared that up and shared why season 6 part 3 has only five episodes.
In an interview with Gizmodo, Hurwitz shared how they decided the final season would be 15 episodes.
"We had a powwow with Sony and Netflix talking about what’s next. We knew we were coming in for a landing, but we felt like 10 episodes wasn’t enough to wind up all the stories the way we wanted to. And 20 episodes felt like too much. So we’re like, “This should be the final season. Is there a way to make it somewhere in between 10 and 20?” And we all landed on 15."
Honestly, after watching season 6, I'm so glad that they chose to make 15 episodes. Based on how the story played out, there was far too much to fit into 10 episodes, especially when you consider episodes of Cobra Kai are generally shorter than most Netflix dramas. There are a few longer episodes, but most are in the 40-minute range.
I really enjoyed the extra five episodes. They added a lot to the story. Is the ending totally satisfying? There's definitely more story to mine with these characters, but I appreciated how the creative team was able to wrap up many of these stories in a relatively short amount of time. Heading into part 3, everything was on the table. Bringing it all back to where this story started in the San Fernando Valley, it really works.
Why Cobra Kai season 6 was released in three parts
I don't remember another Netflix scripted series with a three-part release spread months apart like Cobra Kai, so I can understand why this release schedule is a little confusing to some viewers. Basically, it all relates to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes after the AMPTP chose not to make a deal with unions for several months during 2023.
Production on shows like Cobra Kai stopped completely. When they started up again, the creators and Netflix made the decision to split the episodes into three parts to make sure that the gap between seasons wasn't too long. By the time season 6 premiered in July 2024, it was almost two years after season 5 premiered in September 2022.
Here's what Hurwitz told Gizmodo about the decision to split the season into three, five-episode batches:
"Because we wanted people to get episodes of the show sooner rather than later [instead of] waiting even longer for the show, because it’s been a while since we’ve been out. And we just started thinking of, whenever we’re writing a 10-episode season, we do it in batches of five, in a sense. It’s like we build to a mid-season finale and then build from there to the ending. And this season, it was like, “OK, well, three chunks of five would make sense.” It’s almost like three acts in a bigger story. And that’s just something that we decided to do creatively. And when we talked about that with Netflix, they loved the idea of the three drops. And that’s where it came from. So we’ve known this for a very long time. And it is all by design."
After watching all 15 episodes of Cobra Kai season 6, I have to agree that it all works together. I was a little skeptical about how part 2 ended and how they would be able to stick the landing in part 3, which is the thing that every fan, member of the cast, crew, and creative team wants to see. And, they did it!
Did I love waiting a few months for each five-episode batch? Not really, but it's good to see Netflix and the creative team come together to make sure that there's a good reason for the split instead of whatever has been happening lately. Like, clearly, there was a plan. Each part acts as one act in the larger, three-act story of season 6. There is some amount of resolution in each part that spins the story in a new direction until part 3.
There's also a good amount of time that passes over the course of season 6 part 3. That isn't always the case in the previous seasons. Having those breaks built in allows this story to breathe. It also allows for some simmering before it boils over in the part 2 finale and leads into part 3, which is super dramatic.
So, that's the reason why Cobra Kai season 6 part 3 is only five episodes. And, I think it worked well for this season of this particular Netflix series. I'm not sure this release schedule would work for all Netflix shows. I'm a little worried about Stranger Things getting the three-part release schedule, but that's for another time.
Stay tuned for more news about Cobra Kai and its future on Netflix! I have a feeling this isn't the last we'll see of these characters, but we'll have to wait and see what the future holds.