Amazon Prime Video has canceled the Nicolas Cage superhero series Spider-Noir after a single eight-episode season, despite the show landing 11 Emmy nominations. The cancellation arrives just months after its May premiere, driven by high production costs and viewership that dropped off quickly after a solid launch.
Nicolas Cage Heads a Noir-Infused Marvel Adaptation
Based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man Noir, the live-action series transported viewers to 1930s New York during the Great Depression. Showrunner and executive producer Oren Uziel, alongside co-showrunner Steve Lightfoot, crafted a moody narrative around Ben Reilly, a seasoned, down-on-his-luck private investigator forced to grapple with his past life following a deeply personal tragedy, as the city’s one and only superhero.
The production leaned heavily into classic cinematic styling. Prime Video and MGM+ gave fans a distinct viewing choice, allowing audiences to watch the show in either color or black & white. Showrunner Oren Uziel noted that his creative partnership with the lead actor stemmed from a shared passion for classic film noir, recalling an early conversation about cinematic references:
The supporting cast featured Lamorne Morris from New Girl, Li Jun Li from Sinners, Karen Rodriguez from The Hunting Wives, Abraham Popoola from Atlas, Jack Huston from Boardwalk Empire, and Brendan Gleeson from The Banshees of Inisherin. Harry Bradbeer directed and executive produced the first two episodes. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller executive produced for Lord Miller, along with Aditya Sood and Dan Shear. Amy Pascal served as executive producer via Pascal Pictures, alongside executive producers Nicolas Cage and Pavlina Hatoupis.
Emmy Nominations Contrast with Streamer’s Cancellation Decision
The cancellation decision was announced one day before the start of Creative Arts Emmys weekend, arriving while Spider-Noir headed into the first weekend of Emmy ceremonies with 11 nominations—the most of any Prime Video program this year. Reviewers and audiences responded favorably to the freshman run, securing a 92% critics score and a 90% popcornmeter audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Nielsen streaming figures showed a strong initial footprint. The series originally premiered on the linear MGM+ channel on May 25, and then started streaming on Prime Video the next day. It landed at No. 2 on Nielsen’s U.S. Top 10 for original series for its first week, bringing in 851 million minutes viewed. Across its first six weeks, the comedy-drama generated 2.6 billion viewing minutes according to Nielsen Streaming Content Ratings.
Among the show’s 11 Emmy nominations are categories such as Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Period Or Fantasy Program (One Hour Or More), Outstanding Title Design, Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour), Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour), Outstanding Cinematography For A Series (One Hour), Outstanding Stunt Performance, Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Original Dramatic Score), and Best Music & Lyrics (The Devil You Know).
Yet, viewership dropped off the platform’s daily Top 10 rankings relatively quickly. Streamers base their renewal decisions primarily on cost versus performance. The respectable but not outsized viewership was coupled with the high cost for the lavish production, which filmed both color and black & white versions, making the ratio factor heavily into the call not to continue Spider-Noir. On the bright side, Season 1 told largely a complete story with just a few loose threads left behind.
The Partnership Between Amazon and Sony Moves Forward
The series was the second series ordered and first to make it to the screen under a multi-title pact between Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television based on IP from Sony Pictures’ Universe of Marvel Characters, an oversight that includes more than 900 Marvel characters associated with the Spider-Man franchise. (The first project originally greenlit, a spinoff titled Silk, was ultimately scrapped.) All shows under the deal have a linear debut on Amazon’s MGM+ platform followed by a streaming release on sibling Prime Video.
While the Nicolas Cage vehicle will not be continuing for a Season 2, the Amazon-Sony TV collaboration it was part of will carry on. The two sides are carrying on with development of multiple projects, with one of them said to be nearing a series order, though its concept is currently being kept under wraps.
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