Spider-Noir - Season 1

All episodes are streaming on Amazon Prime

Runtime: 8 episodes that run from 43-50 minutes

Rated TV-14

New York City, 1939. Ben Reilly has spent years protecting the city as the masked vigilante known as the Spider. Ever since gaining extraordinary abilities during World War II, he has believed he was the world's only super-powered hero. But when other veterans suddenly begin appearing with powers of their own, that certainty is shattered. As a routine private investigator case spirals into a dangerous conspiracy, Ben finds himself unraveling a mystery that ties together a ruthless mob boss, a growing population of super-powered individuals, and secrets that could change New York forever.

Themes:‍ ‍

Noir, mystery, superpowers, Spider-Man, failure, loss, investigation, private detectives, love, tracking down affairs, assassination, secrets, intrigue, lies, prohibition, the mob, veterans, crime, allegiance, experimentation, trust, the Daily Bugle, betrayal, WWII, POW, the major, police, losing everything, price for being a hero, weapons, soldiers, cures, and politics.

Language:

A*s - 8 B*stard - 7 B*tch - 5 D*mn - 20 Dick - 1 Fword - 1 Hell - 27 Pr*ck - 1 Sh*t - 24 Religious Exclamation - 24

One character says, “Let’s take life by the balls.”

Stuff to be aware of:

‍ ‍Alcohol and Drugs - There are multiple scenes in bars where people are drinking. Ben (the Spider) drinks multiple times during the show. There are also multiple scenes with smoking.

In episode four, Ben comes home majorly drunk.

‍ ‍Scary - One man starts to turn to sand and seems in pain.

In episode five, there is a man who has a scary-looking face. Half of it looks like a spider. The bottom half of his body looks like a spider. He is briefly seen again in episode six.

In episode six, during a hallucination, a man is cut open, and spiders pour out of the wound. A man-spider monster attacks the man. A face mask turns into a huge spider. The hallucination scenes feel more like a horror movie than a superhero show.

There is also a lab scene with a bunch of dead mutations that are fairly grotesque.

‍ ‍Sexual - A woman flirts with a man by saying, “I’ve got a husband, not that it ever stopped me from having a good time, you know what I mean?”

In one scene, a man asks for a drink and mentions, “You got anything harder?” The woman with him responds, “I keep asking my husband that…”

A man mentions that he can be sober in the morning, and a woman comes up behind him and kisses him. A man tries to force a woman to kiss him. Another man tells a woman that someone had him in whipped cream up to his shoulders.

In episode four, a woman mentions that a male character only “gets off on power.” A man and woman almost kiss, but get distracted. A man and a woman kiss and embrace; the episode ends.

In episode five, a man makes a joke about whether another man has told his wife, “he could go all night.” A man is looking at an adult magazine. A man with the ability to electrify someone kisses another man to electrocute him.

‍ ‍Violence/Gore - There is plenty of gunfire, fisticuffs, and fighting shenanigans. I will mention more intense scenes here. Several men are gunned down at point-blank range throughout the show. A man is hit by a car but gets back up.

A man tries to force a woman to kiss him, and he ends up slapping her. A dead man is seen in a morgue with multiple bullet holes in him. There is a man who is seen beaten up, and he is bleeding badly and has blood all over his shirt. He is stabbed in the hand by a long dagger. The man’s throat is then slit, and blood sprays out.

In episode five, a man is stabbed in the gut. There is a man who is part spider, who bites another man in the arm.

In episode six, a man is cut open, and the wound is shown after and it looks not well sewn up and possibly infected.

‍ ‍Other - A man mentions that some days he thinks he should just stick his head in the oven and finish things. A man mentions opium.

In episode six, a man is strapped down, and multiple vials of his blood are taken.

Overall:‍ ‍

Seeing It With Your Family

If you're expecting another lighthearted Spider-Man adventure, Spider-Noir isn't it. This series leans much darker than previous Spider-Man movies and shows, embracing a gritty noir atmosphere filled with unsettling mutated creatures, frequent strong language, and mature themes. The TV-14 rating feels a little low for the overall tone, though TV-MA would probably be too high. If there were a rating in between, it would fit nicely here. Younger viewers, especially those who fell in love with the character through the Spider-Verse films, may find this series too frightening and intense. Parents should preview the show or use discretion before watching with younger children.

What I Thought

Nicolas Cage's take on Spider-Noir in the Spider-Verse films was one of those characters who instantly felt deserving of a movie or television series. Thankfully, Sony and Amazon recognized that potential. While this adaptation doesn't strictly follow the comics, it confidently forges its own path, and it's better for it. Familiar Spider-Man characters are reimagined with fresh motivations and new roles, creating a world that feels both recognizable and surprisingly original.

I've really enjoyed what the MCU and the Spider-Verse films have done with everyone's favorite web-head over the past several years, but Spider-Noir stands apart. Rather than retelling another familiar Spider-Man story, it embraces its noir roots and delivers something genuinely unique for the character and his corner of the Marvel universe.

The writing is consistently strong, the detective mystery keeps the story engaging, and several of the twists land exactly as they should. If you're a longtime Spider-Man fan, or if you've found yourself growing a little tired of the superhero genre in recent years, this series is well worth your time. It may be one of the freshest takes on the character we've seen yet.