The first season of YouTube Premium's Cobra Kai came out of nowhere and blew everyone's expectations out of the water. Really, a TV show that follows the story of a movie as beloved as The Karate Kid that comes out 30 years after the franchise launched doesn't immediately spark confidence. Thankfully, the show was excellent and got well-deserved critical appraise.

Now, as the show enters its second season, the surprise factor is gone and expectations are through the roof. The first two episodes of the season premiered at SXSW, picking up right where Season 1 left off, reintroducing us to evil sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove), as well as teasing a full-on confrontation between the rebooted Cobra Kai dojo and the newly revived Miyagi-Do Karate.

GameSpot had the opportunity to sit down with the cast and executive producers of Cobra Kai shortly before the special screening of the first two episodes at SXSW. The show's creators--Hayden Schlossberg, Josh Heald, and Jon Hurwitz--revealed that while they had to fill in the blanks to what happened to the characters after the movies, they did have some help from the original 1984 movie.

"When we first sold the show, we told Sony, what if we dig up all the old material and see if there's anything we can use? And we found a ton of deleted scenes, different takes and angles from the original movies," Jon Hurwitz recalled. "And, you know, in the very first episode of Season 1 we see that iconic fight between Johnny and Daniel but edited in an entirely different way. The scene in our show gives you more of Johnny's point of view, instead of focusing on Daniel's lens."

"We reintroduced sensei Kreese in the earliest moments of that very first episode," said Hayden Schlossberg. "John [Avildsen, director] shot that final fight in the first movie with six cameras, with dedicated cameras on Martin Kove, Billy [Zabka], and the Cobra Kai kids. We were able to use that footage to see a different angle of Johnny walking back onto the mat after his infamous talk with Kreese. We didn't go in with Daniel, we were with this kid who is now about to make his mistake that was going to influence the rest of his life. That kind of re-edited perspective certainly helped tell our story."

When I told the producers that I originally had very low interest in the show prior to watching the first episode, co-producer and co-creator Hayden Schlossberg seemed unsurprised--and even pleased.

"That's the best thing ever," Schlossberg said. "To have low-to-zero expectations was the best place for us to show up with this show, because we knew that we were bringing an intentional gravitas and respect, and we caught people off guard."

When it came to expectations going into Season 2, Ralph Macchio, who reprises his role as Daniel LaRusso, thinks it's all about the characters. "I think Season 2 is truly a continuation," Macchio said. "We're just making another section of the movie, that is hours and hours long. It's not about figuring out how to surprise the audience this time, but about being true to these characters, and just adding to them and diving deeper into their arcs, but bigger and better."

That certainly seems to be the approach, at least according to producer Josh Heald. "The truth is we didn't want to change anything coming into this season," Heald told GameSpot. "The analogy we used is, we were in the kitchen making food. People seem to like the food, so let's just keep making it, you know? Don't change anything. We were confident in that we had a lot of storylines and characters that didn't get that much time in the spotlight last season, that we just kept them for this season. Like what's going on with Kreese? We didn't do much with him last season, so that's what this one is for. We're fans, this is fan fiction. It's super high-end fan fiction, but still. Our approach was, it if ain't broke, don't fix it."

Season 2 of Cobra Kai expands on some of the storylines from last season, and certainly on some of the characters. Not only do we see more of fan favorites like Hawk, but even Daniel's wife, Samantha, gets more to do this time. "That's one of the things we enjoy about the show being on a streaming service," Josh Heald said. "The episodes run for as long as they need to be, so this season we see more of those characters."

"Karate Kid, if you go back to it, it's largely a high school soap opera," said Schlossberg. "The only way these two kids can deal with their rivalry over this girl is through karate. So with this show, we wanted to honor that. There are rivalries, and humor, and of course, karate. But at the heart of it all is a high school soap opera about high school rivalries."

Besides new characters, avid fans can notice new references to the movies--not only the 1984 original, but the sequels too. And Schlossberg teased plenty more nods to come: "Any movie with Mr. Miyagi is part of our canon. So any character in those movies is fair game in terms of cameos, or even storylines coming back. It's all part of the show, having fun with these little nods."

Cobra Kai Season 2 hits YouTube Red April 24.

It's the end of the month, but there are still a few more new selections coming to Netflix in the final days of April. There are a few more movies hitting the service, and plenty of Netflix originals to hold you over until May.

As far as non-Netflix original movies go, there are four being released this week. On Thursday, there is an extended version of The Hateful Eight hitting the service. Quentin Tarantino's 2015 film follows a bounty hunter and his prisoner who find shelter from the Wyoming winter in a cabin filled with some shady characters. Also arriving is the romantic comedy, The Ugly Truth. You may want to skip out on that one.

On the side of Netflix originals, there is plenty to watch. One of the more notable selections this week is the new series Street Food, coming on Friday. The new docuseries travels the world looking at the culture of street food and those who make their living selling food without having a traditional store to sell it out of. Finally, there is a new ReMastered--a documentary series which mixes true crime surrounding musical icons. The latest installment, Devil at the Crossroads, tells the tale of blues artist Robert Johnson, a guitarist who was said to have sold his soul to the devil to become a master of his craft. Ultimately, he sacrificed everything to become a legend.

If you're looking for more selections from streaming services to watch during your free time, see what Hulu and Amazon Prime Video have coming to this May. Below, you'll find everything coming to Netflix this week.

Avail. 4/22/19

• Pinky Malinky: Part 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Selection Day - New Episodes-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Avail. 4/23/19

• I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Avail. 4/24/19

• Bonding -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Avail. 4/25/19

• The Hateful Eight: Extended Version
• The Ugly Truth

Avail. 4/26/19

• The Protector: Season 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• ReMastered: Devil at the Crossroads -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: Season 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Street Food -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• The Sapphires
• Yankee -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Avail. 4/27/19

• American Honey

There’s been a bunch of stuff datamined for Battlefield 5. There are character skins, upcoming game modes and more. Well, today, you can add melee weapons to the list!

Once again dug up by reliable Battlefield 5 dataminer temporyal, a slew of Battlefield 5 new melee weapons have been dug up, and there’s a dagger, a sword, and what even looks like a burned piece of wood! Check the Battlefield 5 new melee weapons below along with a Panzerschreck RPG in the mix for size comparison’s sake.

It’s unclear as of now when these melee weapon skins will be available, but when we do, we’ll make sure to let our readers know. DICE will definitely announce the weapon skins’ availability once they can.

For more news on Battlefield 5, make sure to bookmark and check our Battlefield 5 game hub!

More Battlefield 5 Reading:

• Battlefield 5 Tutorial Mode Called Basic Training Coming, New Map Locations Named
• Battlefield 5 Upcoming Challenges for Tides of War Chapter 3 and New Gun Rewards Leaked
• Battlefield 5 Elite Skins Unearthed, Here’s Our First Look

The post Battlefield 5 New Melee Weapons Unearthed, and Here’s What They Look Like Compared to the Panzerschreck appeared first on MP1st.

If you're a member of Amazon Prime, then you undoubtedly take advantage of Prime Video, which allows you to stream a plethora of movies and TV series, including Amazon's original content. The upcoming month of May has plenty of stuff to check out, including a highly-anticipated new series.

The majority of Amazon's movie releases come at the end of the month, but there is plenty to look forward to before then. Suspiria hits the service on May 3, and the remake was a bit polarizing with critics and fans. GameSpot's review by Rafael Motamayor said, "While the dance sequences will make your skin crawl, and Tilda Swinton can do no wrong, the truth is that this film is simply boring."

However, May 31 is when most of Amazon's new content drops. If you're a fan of Jason Voorhees, get ready to binge a bunch of movies. All but two films in the original franchise are coming at the end of the month. Sadly, Jason X and Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter did not make the cut, but you can watch Jason ride a boat for an hour then hang out in New York City for a few minutes in Jason Takes Manhattan. If you're more into comedies, then make sure to check out Planes, Trains & Automobiles or The 'Burbs, heading to Amazon the same day.

Also on May 31 is the release of the highly anticipated first season of Good Omens. Based on the Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman novel of the same name, the Amazon original series follows an angel and demon who have become fond of life on Earth and team up to stop the coming apocalypse. However, they've lost the Antichrist, who is supposed to bring Armageddon, so the two set out on a journey to find him.

Below, you'll find the full list for what's coming to Amazon for the month of May. If you're interested in more stuff coming from streaming services, check out Hulu's list for May.

What's Coming To Amazon Prime Video In May

May 1

Movie

• Shanghai (2010)

May 2

Movie

• The Yellow Handkerchief (2008)

May 3

Movie

• Suspiria - Amazon Original movie (2018)

May 5

Movie

• Crash (2004)

May 8

Movie

• Action Point (2018)

May 9

Movie

• Dinosaur 13 (2014)

May 10

Series

• Sneaky Pete S3 – Amazon Original series
• Wishenpoof S2c – Amazon Original series

May 13

Movie

• The Romantics (2010)

May 14

Movie

• King of Thieves (2018)

May 15

Movie

• Yardie (2019) - Amazon Original movie

May 16

Movies

• Punisher: War Zone (2008)
• The Punisher (2004)

May 17

Series

• Fleabag S2 – Amazon Original series
• The Durrells S3
• Poldark S4

May 19

Movie

• Federal Hill (1994)

May 20

Movie

• Jesus' Son (1999)

May 22

Movie

• Lulu on the Bridge (1998)

May 25

Movie

• Morning Glory (2010)

May 26

Movie

• The Frozen Ground (2013)

May 31

Movies

• Antitrust (2001)
• Awaiting (2015)
• Blaze You Out (2013)
• Body of Evidence (1993)
• Cougars Inc. (2011)
• Deadtime Stories (1986)
• Emperor (2012)
• Eulogy (2004)
• F/X (1986)
• F/X2 (1991)
• Super Dragon - Feng qi yun yong dou kuang lung (1976)
• Flawless (2007)
• Fluke (1995)
• Forbidden Ground (1969)
• Free Money (1998)
• Friday Night Lights (2004)
• Friday the 13th (1980)
• Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
• Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
• Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
• Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
• Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
• Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
• Fun Size (2012)
• Shaolin Drunk Fighter - Gimunsayukbang (1983)
• Hart's War (2002)
• I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)
• Jennifer Eight (1992)
• Lost and Delirious (2001)
• Chinese Hercules - Ma tou da jue dou (1973)
• Mission: Impossible (1996)
• Murimgori (1982)
• N.Y.C. Underground (2013)
• Night of the Living Dead 3D (2006)
• Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection (2012)
• Patriot Games (1992)
• Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
• Private Parts (1997)
• Reservoir Dogs (1992)
• Shaolin vs. Lama - Shao Lin dou La Ma (1983)
• Woman Avenger - Shi mei chu ma (1980)
• Tao tie gong (1979)
• The 'Burbs (1989)
• The Big Wedding (2013)
• The Constant Gardener (2005)
• The Doors (1991)
• The Ghostwriter (1997)
• The Gift (2000)
• The Letter (1940)
• The Lonely Man (1957)
• The People vs. George Lucas (2010)
• The Puffy Chair (2005)
• The Secret of NIMH (1982)
• Trainwreck: My Life as an Idiot (2007)
• X+Y (2014)

Series

• Good Omens S1 – Amazon Original series