Getty The cast of "Cobra Kai" attends the premiere screening of 'Cobra Kai' Season 2
While the acclaimed series “Cobra Kai,” focuses on Daniel LaRusso’s (Ralph Macchio) long-standing rivalry with Johnny Lawrence (William “Billy” Zabka), the show has quite a few other characters. Throughout its three seasons, the series has expanded its cast list, meaning there are many storylines for the audience to follow.
The Co-Creator of ‘Cobra Kai’ Discussed the Writing Process for the Show
During a recent interview on the “Cobra Kai Kompanion” podcast, one of the show’s creators and executive producers, Josh Heald, explained how the writers are able to utilize each character. He stated that “it’s a big puzzle and the puzzle gets more complex every year.”
Heald then noted that the first season was more manageable in terms of writing its storyline, whereas the fourth season, which will premiere in late 2021, was quite complicated. He then compared writing the earlier seasons to “a few friends playing music together.” He stated, however, that coming up with the scripts for the fourth season was like “an orchestra that you’re conducting and you need to know, you know, when to hear the strings and when to hear the brass.”
He then explained that after the show’s writers “find those big storylines [and] those big macro arcs,” they begin to come up with the season’s “micro-moments and the machinations that get you there.” They also decide if certain storylines and characters need to be addressed “every single episode.” Heald revealed that if a character is “a little blurry in the background for an episode,” the writers’ room will need to figure out “how can [they] bring that storyline more to the forefront in the following episode.” He went on to describe the process as “a recipe.”
“You’re baking, you’re tasting, you’re saying, ‘oh we’re not feeling enough of this, oh it’s been, you know, ten minutes without this storyline,’” said Heald. “And those are things that as the, you know, the outline process happens, as the script happens, even in editorial after we film something, you know, you’re feeling, you know, I’m losing track of this headspace, I’m losing track of this storyline, you know, how can we engineer or rearrange a scene to make sure that it feels perfect.”
He then asserted that “it’s something that [they] are hyper-aware of, but it has gotten more complex as the seasons go on.”
Dallas Dupree Young Spoke About His Character Kenny in a Recent Interview
Deadline reported that there will be two new “recurring” characters, Kenny (Dallas Dupree Young) and Devon (Oona O’Brien) in “Cobra Kai” season 4. While not much is known about Kenny and Devon, it is likely that they both will have complex storylines.
In a June interview, which was uploaded on the Cobra Kai Kid YouTube channel, Dallas Dupree Young briefly spoke about his character, who seemingly joins one of the dojos in the Valley during the fourth season. The 14-year-old explained that “Kenny’s going to be an important factor in season 4.” The actor also noted that he shares some characteristics with his character, specifically his “athletic ability.” He went on to say that he appreciates the way Kenny handles being bullied.
“He gets into karate as a way to defend himself,” said Young.
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