I don't feel like I wasted the time watching it thankfully. Despite the criticism's leveled against the excessive use of the trope, I did enjoy the show and am looking forward to the final season in a few days.

Huge caveats though, mainly;

I had it on as a background show while playing low impact video games, making dinner and decompressing after work.

And, this is a big one,

I was the exact right age when Karate Kid released. It was a top 3, core memory movie of my childhood and the show mines that nostalgia pit in a way that kept my anxiety riddled brain on a constant dopamine drip.

If you share a childhood love of the original movies, seeing Billy Zabka play Johnny again and develop him into one of the most endearing, fully realized characters in modern media is phenomenal.

If neither of those apply though, steer clear. You'll likely not be able to get past the repetitive, tropey speed bumps.