Spider-Noir – Review | Prime Video Series

SPIDER-NOIR on Prime Video is a new series starring Nicolas Cage in the lead role. And yes, this is based on a Marvel character. It’s essentially a story about a private investigator (who’s actually a superhero) in 1930s New York. Ideal for fans of classic noir thrillers. Read our Spider-Noir series review here!

SPIDER-NOIR is a Prime Video series from Sony Pictures Television, but it is still based on a Marvel comic.  Nicolas Cage stars in the title role as a private investigator, Ben Reilly, who is terrible with finances, but has a brilliant secretary, Janet (Karen Rodriguez), to take care of business. Without her, he would be truly lost!

We’re getting eight 45-minute episodes for this first season. I’ve watched the first three episodes for this review (it was all I had time for prior to its release), and it is a charming and funny plot with lots of dark undertones. Full of classic villains and characters, perfect for New York in the 1930s.

It should please many, but it isn’t something I’m rushing to watch more of. The series looks gorgeous and has a nice vibe, but it also has way too many characters. I have too many other titles on my watch list to spend more time on this one.

Continue reading our Spider-Noir season 1 review below. Start watching on Prime Video on May 27, 2026.

The Spider has retired

Spider-Noir is a 2026 live-action Prime Video series based on the Marvel comic “Spider-Man Noir”. In this series, we get to know Ben Reilly (Nicolas Cage), who is also The Spider or Spider-Noir. His superhero days are initially behind him as he focuses on this private investigator business.

Sadly for him, he is very much a down-on-his-luck private investigator. Sure, he gets jobs in 1930s New York, but mostly catching cheating spouses in the act. And often, he ends up doing pro bono work, which does not cover the bills.

Nor does it cover salary for his secretary, the fierce Janet Ruiz (Karen Rodriguez), who is the only one keeping the business afloat. While I do like Nicolas Cage as Spider-Noir, it was Karen Rodriguez who stole every scene she was in. You may recognize Karen Rodriguez from Shining Girls or The Hunting Wives.

Anyway, in season 1 of Spider-Noir, we see Ben Reilly trying to get back on his feet after a deeply personal tragedy. Despite his notion that his days of being “The Spider” are behind him, the city needs a hero, and he is the city’s one and only superhero.

Amazing cast, having a blast

Also in the cast of Spider-Noir on Prime Video are a whole slew of amazing actors. With the story set in 1930’s New York, there are so many iconic (almost stereotypical, but you can get away with much in a comic adaptation) characters.

Look out for the Emmy Award®-winning Lamorne Morris (Fargo, Night Shift, New Girl), Li Jun Li (Sinners, Babylon), Abraham Popoola (Atlas, Slow Horses), to SAG Award®-winning actor Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire, Antebellum), and Emmy Award®-winning and Academy Award®-nominated actor Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin, Mr. Mercedes).

The guest star cast also has amazing talent, including Lukas Haas (Midnight in the Switchgrass), Cameron Britton (Paradise, Mickey 17, Mindhunter), and Cary Christopher (Weapons), to name just a few.

Choose your own Spider-Noir adventure… sort of.

With Spider-Noir on Prime Video, you get to choose your own adventure. Or rather, you get to choose how you want to experience this latest Marvel character. You can choose between “Authentic Black & White” and “True-Hue Full Color”, which perfectly describes exactly what you get from each viewing experience.

Either the authenticity of a story playing out in 1930’s New York or a superhero adventure thriller in vibrant colors. Obviously, you can check out both options to see whether you prefer to watch the Black & White or the Color version.

Personally, I am a sucker for the color version. I opted for this for the simple reason that the colors are gorgeous, vivid, and intensely vibrant. Something we don’t get too much of these days. Of course, if you’re a sucker for that old school noir feel, then surely you’ll want to opt for the colorless version of this.

Okay, I realize “colorless” makes it sound negative, but I don’t mean it as such. I recognize that the absence of color allows for other details to shine.

Psst… if you’re also longing for that color-saturated experience, then you have something amazing in store with Cape Fear on Apple TV. Just sayin’.

Watch Spider-Noir on Prime Video now

The new Marvel Comic-adapted series, produced by Sony Pictures Television exclusively for MGM+ and Prime Video, was developed by Oren Uziel (The Cloverfield Paradox). Oren Uziel (Freaks of Nature, 22 Jump Street) and Steve Lightfoot (Marvel’s The Punisher, Behind Her Eyes, Hannibal) serve as co-showrunners and executive producers.

Oren Uziel and Steve Lightfoot developed the series with the Academy Award®-winning team behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which should please many Marvel fans. This team includes Phil Lord (Project Hail Mary), Christopher Miller (Cocaine Bear), and Amy Pascal (Long Bright River).

The Emmy Award®-winning director Harry Bradbeer (Fleabag, Killing Eve) is the director and executive producer of the first two episodes. Also directing the eight episodes in season 1 are Nzingha Stewart (The ‘Burbs), Alethea Jones (Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed), and Greg Yaitanes (Presumed Innocent).

The Spider-Noir series will air on MGM+’s linear channel on May 25, 2026, before rolling out globally on Prime Video.

Spider-Noir starts streaming worldwide on Prime Video on May 27, 2026.

Details

Creator: Oren Uziel
Directors: Harry Bradbeer, Nzingha Stewart, Alethea Jones, Greg Yaitanes
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li, Abraham Popoola, Karen Rodriguez, Jack Huston, Brendan Gleeson, Lukas Haas, Cameron Britton, Cary Christopher, Michael Kostroff, Scott MacArthur, Joe Massingill, Whitney Rice, Amanda Schull, Andrew Caldwell, Amy Aquino, Andrew Robinson, Kai Caster