This was a great start to a new SBTB era. Definitely worth watching!
5 Reviews
Amazing!
alexbogue388925 November 2020
Was this made by someone who hated the original?
bgaiv8 August 2021
The pilot comes across like a book report written by a student who hated the topic they were assigned and intentionally made it snarky.
This is a very strange production and feels half baked and maybe not even a quarter baked.
I have friends younger than me who never liked the original because it's basically a bunch of mostly rich kids getting away with everything in school. I was in college when the show ran, and they were somewhat younger, and I think that made the difference. If I had still be in school, I probably would not have liked it either.
But, being in college, this was a Saturday morning show that someone always seemed to be watching. Our thoughts were "wow, I wish school had been like that." But it was a pleasant lightweight silly show with a charming cast.
Keyword being "lightweight". This certainly wasn't. It starts with an interminable Governor Zack Morris political ad. The premise is schools are being closed due to budget shortfalls. This is very poorly baked. It should have be much shorter and perhaps sprinkled through the episode instead of one giant info dump. And if they're going to do this, just maybe suggest there's a bit more to it than greedy rich people and a clueless governor? Is it just possible that the state has chronic income swings that they can't seem to manage?
But, of course, why go into all this at all? This is Saved By The Bell.
Well, that's when it really feels like the creators despised the original show, because the "you guys are so rich" thing keeps coming up, and often in very mean spirited ways. "You eat out every day! That must be expensive!"
Um, yeah. Except such things are quite standard in sitcoms, where poor and often unemployed characters live in great apartments and don't seem much deprived.
Additionally, who is this show for? They go to the trouble of making it a continuation of the original, bring back Zack Morris, put him in a political role and immediately slime him. If you're going for the nostalgia, maybe don't urinate all over the main character right from the top?
I'm slightly surprised this was even green lit, and I'm sure it's because of Cobra Kai. The difference is, the CK creators really love the Karate Kid, and managed to revive it respectfully while still pushing its boundaries. And yes at times even subtly mocking itself, but not with a mean spirit.
More, if mundane, quarter baking: there's a character auditioning for choir and sings an entire song and does it so well, the teacher is literally jaw dropping in astonishment. Why? The show is set in LA where it's hardly rare to find great talents. And the cartoonish reaction is an example of the many times this episode switches genres.
As for how funny it was, I actually did find a lot of the corny jokes funny. Chuckle funny, but funny nevertheless. But I personally like goofy puns and the like, and I think most people don't.
I did approach this with an open mind. After all, like a great many others, I didn't expect Cobra Kai to even be watchable PERIOD, and was completely gobsmacked that it's great.
This is a very strange production and feels half baked and maybe not even a quarter baked.
I have friends younger than me who never liked the original because it's basically a bunch of mostly rich kids getting away with everything in school. I was in college when the show ran, and they were somewhat younger, and I think that made the difference. If I had still be in school, I probably would not have liked it either.
But, being in college, this was a Saturday morning show that someone always seemed to be watching. Our thoughts were "wow, I wish school had been like that." But it was a pleasant lightweight silly show with a charming cast.
Keyword being "lightweight". This certainly wasn't. It starts with an interminable Governor Zack Morris political ad. The premise is schools are being closed due to budget shortfalls. This is very poorly baked. It should have be much shorter and perhaps sprinkled through the episode instead of one giant info dump. And if they're going to do this, just maybe suggest there's a bit more to it than greedy rich people and a clueless governor? Is it just possible that the state has chronic income swings that they can't seem to manage?
But, of course, why go into all this at all? This is Saved By The Bell.
Well, that's when it really feels like the creators despised the original show, because the "you guys are so rich" thing keeps coming up, and often in very mean spirited ways. "You eat out every day! That must be expensive!"
Um, yeah. Except such things are quite standard in sitcoms, where poor and often unemployed characters live in great apartments and don't seem much deprived.
Additionally, who is this show for? They go to the trouble of making it a continuation of the original, bring back Zack Morris, put him in a political role and immediately slime him. If you're going for the nostalgia, maybe don't urinate all over the main character right from the top?
I'm slightly surprised this was even green lit, and I'm sure it's because of Cobra Kai. The difference is, the CK creators really love the Karate Kid, and managed to revive it respectfully while still pushing its boundaries. And yes at times even subtly mocking itself, but not with a mean spirit.
More, if mundane, quarter baking: there's a character auditioning for choir and sings an entire song and does it so well, the teacher is literally jaw dropping in astonishment. Why? The show is set in LA where it's hardly rare to find great talents. And the cartoonish reaction is an example of the many times this episode switches genres.
As for how funny it was, I actually did find a lot of the corny jokes funny. Chuckle funny, but funny nevertheless. But I personally like goofy puns and the like, and I think most people don't.
I did approach this with an open mind. After all, like a great many others, I didn't expect Cobra Kai to even be watchable PERIOD, and was completely gobsmacked that it's great.
Surpassed my expectations
wilirius28 November 2021
I get what its going for but its bad
emmylimmy28 July 2021
I get what the show is going for, the self aware kind of humor everyone's has this sort of quirky kind of personality. It's very obnoxious, I've seen it done in many shows it has a similar feel to the Good Place and Superstore but poorly executed. I didn't watch the original when it came on as I wasn't born yet, but I did watch some of the reruns, it was pretty rough back then too. The acting is bad, well to be fair it's always been bad, I don't remember anyone's name and after I finish typing this I won't think of this show ever again.
Aggressively unfunny.
travinitrav7 December 2020
The show is self-aware and self-referential to the point of being annoying. It was a cute concept 10 years ago but today just seems like lazy writing, though its possible the staff worked themselves to death to write the pilot. The final result is simply unpleasant.
All the characters are ironically cliched and it was funny for maybe the first 10 minutes but gets tired quickly. They make stupid jokes that you're supposed to laugh at because they're stupid jokes and I was fed up with that long before the half hour was over. They also rely way too much on nostalgia which of course is the whole reason the show was made, to cash in on nostalgia. Much like the new Star Wars movies they will probably milk the nostalgia to death and offer us poor entertainment in return. The mild attempts at sentiment fall flat each time.
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