TCA 17: YouTube Red Introduces Cobra Kai & Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes On Television

YouTube Red, the paid streaming subscription service portion of YouTube, hosted a panel at this year’s Television Critics Association summer press tour in order to unveil a few of their new series. Not only did they provide a sneak peek of some of the shows, but they livened everyone’s day by bringing in talent from two of them.

First, The Karate Kid stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka came on stage to renew their decades-old grudge in Cobra Kai. The 10-episode, half-hour series will pick up thirty years after the fateful tournament in which Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) defeated Johnny Lawrence (Zabka) once and for all. Hoping for redemption, Lawrence reopens the Cobra Kai karate dojo and thus reignites the rivalry with LaRusso. Set to premiere on YouTube Red in 2018, the series is written and produced by Josh Heald (Hot Tub Time Machine), Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg (Harold & Kumar).

Based on the reaction from the panel, everyone remembers the delight that was The Karate Kid. But for those who don’t or who are too young to remember, Susanne Daniels (global head of original content at YouTube) assures that there will be something for everyone regardless of age.

Continuing in the vein of stars drawing on their previous work for future comedy, YouTube Red also brought out the stars and creators of Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes On Television*. The series is part action-comedy, part mockumentary – envisioning a world where the LAPD hires actors to partner with homicide detectives. Because everyone knows “actor skills” can crack the case, right? Ryan Hansen, of Veronica Mars fame, plays a heightened version of himself while Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale, Orange Is The New Black) is his put-upon partner, Detective Mathers. Created by Rawson Marshall Thurber, this half-hour procedural goes beyond meta and manages to parody both cop dramas and the Hollywood lifestyle.

Hansen and Marshall Thurber pointed to the use of both single-cam and live studio in show as one of the many meta-jokes throughout. “The best part about a new space is you get to have a lot more freedom,” Hansen explained, referring to YouTube Red allowing them to ‘compromise’ on the genre as well as the style. Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes On Television* will debut its first two episodes on October 18th, followed by two more on the 25th.

For more information on YouTube Red and their programming, check their homepage here.