The season received universal acclaim for the performances (particularly those of Macchio, Zabka, and Maridueña), action sequences, and faithfulness to the original films.

The website's critical consensus reads: "Cobra Kai continues the Karate Kid franchise with a blend of pleasantly corny nostalgia and teen angst, elevated by a cast of well-written characters".

[6] Cobra Kai was greenlit in August 2017, with ten half-hour episodes, written and executive produced by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg.

[7][8] The trio was joined by executive producers James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett of Overbrook Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Television.

[11] The cast for the first season was announced in October 2017, and included Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan, and Courtney Henggeler.

[18] Exterior locations included Golf N' Stuff in Norwalk and the South Seas Apartments in Reseda, both of which were originally featured in The Karate Kid.

[20] On April 25, YouTube partnered with Fathom Events for special screenings of the first two episodes of the season at around 700 movie theaters across the United States.