Is ‘Cobra Kai’ Nominated for an Emmy?

Getty Ralph Macchio and William Zabka attend a private party celebrating hit YouTube Original "Cobra Kai."

After “Cobra Kai” started streaming on Netflix in 2020, it amassed a massive fanbase. Fans are drawn to the martial arts series for many reasons. For instance, those who enjoyed the “Karate Kid” film franchise look forward to the reintroduction of popular characters. The acclaimed series also has plenty of heart and humor, as well as an incredible cast. 

For this reason, fans may be curious if “Cobra Kai” got a Primetime Emmy nomination this year. 

‘Cobra Kai’ Has Been Nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series

According to the Los Angeles Times, it was revealed on July 13 that “Cobra Kai” has been nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. The other shows that were nominated for this category include “The Kominsky Method,” “black-ish,” “The Flight Attendant,” “Emily in Paris,” “Hacks,” “PEN15,” and “Ted Lasso.”  

Due to the fact that “Cobra Kai” has its fair share of dramatic moments, some fans may be curious as to why it is nominated in the comedy category, as opposed to the drama category. Two of the show’s creators, Jon Hurwitz and Josh Heald, discussed the decision to categorize “Cobra Kai” as a comedy for Emmy voters during a July 2021 interview on the “Cobra Kai Kompanion” podcast. Heald explained that the show’s runtime and “the pattern that the show is made under” caused it to “just fall under” the comedy category. He went on to say that quite a few series, including “Cobra Kai” have “been blurring those lines a little bit” in terms of comedy and drama. 

“A show like ‘Cobra Kai’ doesn’t scream, you know, comedy and yet it’s not as long and as robust as some dramas, so we do fall a little bit between those two, you know, we don’t classify the show in our heads as here comes a raucous comedy,” said Heald. “And, you know, I don’t think it will be ever marketed as such but that’s just because of the TV academy has those categories and it, you know, you end up having a little bit of a square peg with roundish corners that’s trying to fit into a triangle hole.”

Hurwitz shared similar comments about “Cobra Kai,” and noted that he appreciated that it has both comedic and dramatic elements. 

“It is a comedy and it is a drama and you know, it is an action show and it’s a coming of age story and it’s, you know, there’s so much to show,” said the executive producer. 

Hurwitz went on to say that the show’s “writers room is full of comedy writers.” 

“Literally everyone in that room came through the comedy space and I’ll say that most scenes when we’re writing them, we are looking for some comedic element to them, you know, whether it’s a light moment here or there. And you know, when you do look back at the series as a whole you can find a ton of laughs and you could find a ton of comedy throughout,” said the writer. 

‘Cobra Kai’ Was Previously Nominated for Emmys

“Cobra Kai” was previously nominated in 2018 and 2019 for Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Comedy Series or a Variety Program. During an exclusive interview with Heavy, the show’s former stunt coordinators Hiro Koda and Jahnel Curfman revealed that Ralph Macchio, who famously portrays Daniel LaRusso, broke the news that they had been nominated in 2019. 

“I got a text message on my phone from Ralph Macchio that was like, ‘Congratulations to the dream team on the Emmy nomination!’ I was like wait what?” said Curfman with a laugh. 

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