# The Amazing Spider-Man (TV series)
**The Amazing Spider-Man** is an American live-action superhero television series based on the [Marvel Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-comics) character [Spider-Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/spider-man), produced for CBS and broadcast in two seasons between 1977 and 1979. It began as a 92-minute pilot film titled *Spider-Man*, which premiered on September 14, 1977, followed by 13 one-hour episodes aired on an irregular schedule through July 1979.[1](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/amazing_spider-man_the) • [2](https://comic-watch.com/television-shows/forgotten-television-the-amazing-spider-man-1977) [Nicholas Hammond](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicholas-hammond) starred as Peter Parker and his alter ego, making the program the character's first live-action series on American prime-time television.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076975/fullcredits/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and run | CBS, 1977–1979; a 92-minute pilot plus 13 one-hour episodes over two seasons[1](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/amazing_spider-man_the) |
| Pilot performance | The September 14, 1977 pilot drew a 17.8 rating with a 30 share, the highest-performing CBS production of 1977[4](https://www.whenitwascool.com/spiderman-1977-tv-pilot-review) |
| Star | Nicholas Hammond as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in all 14 productions; Robert F. Simon as J. Jonah Jameson in 13 episodes[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076975/fullcredits/) |
| Production companies | Charles Fries Productions, Dan Goodman Productions, and Columbia Pictures Television[2](https://comic-watch.com/television-shows/forgotten-television-the-amazing-spider-man-1977) |
| Deviations from the comics | No Uncle Ben, no supervillains from the comics, and the phrase "with great power comes great responsibility" never spoken[2](https://comic-watch.com/television-shows/forgotten-television-the-amazing-spider-man-1977) |
| Cancellation | Canceled after two seasons despite solid ratings, chiefly because CBS feared being labeled the "superhero network"[5](https://spiderman.fandom.com/wiki/The_Amazing_Spider-Man_%281977_TV_series%29) |
| Critical standing | Season 1 holds a 20% Tomatometer score from 10 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_amazing_spider_man/s01) |
## Origin and production
Marvel had sold live-action rights for Spider-Man in 1976, and the property reached CBS as a two-hour television film produced by Charles Fries and Daniel R. Goodman.[7](https://imp.dayawisesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/The_Marvel_Studios_Story_How_a_Failing_Comic_Book_Publisher_Became.pdf) • [8](https://www.memorabletv.com/tv/amazing-spider-man-the-cbs-1977-nicholas-hammond-robert-f-simon/) The pilot was written by Alvin Boretz and directed by E.W. Swackhamer, a veteran television director.[9](https://reactormag.com/with-great-power-comes-great-boredom-spider-man-1977-and-dr-strange-1978/) Its strong performance, a 17.8 rating and 30 share that made it the highest-performing CBS production of 1977, led the network to commission a regular series, which began on April 5, 1978.[4](https://www.whenitwascool.com/spiderman-1977-tv-pilot-review) • [2](https://comic-watch.com/television-shows/forgotten-television-the-amazing-spider-man-1977)
The pilot was also released theatrically in overseas markets, and the series itself drew a good audience; CBS nonetheless scheduled episodes sporadically, using them opportunistically against competitors' programming rather than in a fixed slot.[2](https://comic-watch.com/television-shows/forgotten-television-the-amazing-spider-man-1977) Although set in New York City, the show was primarily filmed in Los Angeles, a substitution contemporary reviewers noted readily.[9](https://reactormag.com/with-great-power-comes-great-boredom-spider-man-1977-and-dr-strange-1978/)
## Premise and departures from the comics
The series follows Peter Parker, a graduate student bitten by a radioactive spider in a college laboratory, who gains wall-crawling ability, enhanced strength, and a precognitive "spider sense." He designs a costume and mechanical web-shooters, sells photographs of his alter ego to the Daily Bugle, and contends with its editor, [J. Jonah Jameson](https://www.edgepedia.org/j-jonah-jameson), and NYPD Captain Barbera.[1](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/amazing_spider-man_the) • [2](https://comic-watch.com/television-shows/forgotten-television-the-amazing-spider-man-1977)
Several changes separated the show sharply from its source. [Uncle Ben](https://www.edgepedia.org/uncle-ben) does not appear in any episode and plays no part in Peter's decision to become a hero, so the moral center of the comic origin, the lesson that "with great power comes great responsibility," is absent entirely.[2](https://comic-watch.com/television-shows/forgotten-television-the-amazing-spider-man-1977) The villains were all newly created for television; across the run Spider-Man faces a telekinetic, a cult, clones, an arms dealer, and assorted criminals, but none of the character's famous comic-book supervillains.[2](https://comic-watch.com/television-shows/forgotten-television-the-amazing-spider-man-1977) • [10](https://spiderfan.org/title/shows/spiderman_tv_1970s.html) Only a handful of characters carried over from the comics: Peter Parker, Jameson, Aunt May, and a single appearance by [Robbie Robertson](https://www.edgepedia.org/robbie-robertson).[11](https://superheroshows.blogspot.com/2009/04/retrospective-1977.html) Budget constraints shaped the production throughout: webbing appeared as thick white rope thrown over villains from off camera, wall-crawling was staged by hoisting a stuntman on cables, and expensive stunt footage was filmed from many angles for reuse in later episodes.[12](https://manapop.com/tv/the-amazing-spider-man-1977-1979-review/) • [2](https://comic-watch.com/television-shows/forgotten-television-the-amazing-spider-man-1977)
## Broadcast and cancellation
The episode count and schedule were irregular from the start: the pilot in fall 1977, five one-hour episodes in spring 1978, six more in fall 1978 and winter 1979, and a final two-hour episode, "The Chinese Web," on July 6, 1979.[5](https://spiderman.fandom.com/wiki/The_Amazing_Spider-Man_%281977_TV_series%29) Ratings were solid throughout the run, but CBS canceled the series for reasons other than performance. The network already aired *[The Incredible Hulk](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-incredible-hulk-1978-tv-series)* and *Wonder Woman*, the *Captain America* and *Doctor Strange* television movies, and the Saturday-morning live-action shows *Captain Marvel* and *[Isis](https://www.edgepedia.org/isis-dc-comics)*, and executives feared being branded a one-dimensional "superhero network." Production expense was a further factor.[2](https://comic-watch.com/television-shows/forgotten-television-the-amazing-spider-man-1977) • [5](https://spiderman.fandom.com/wiki/The_Amazing_Spider-Man_%281977_TV_series%29)
## Reception and legacy
[Stan Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/stan-lee), who co-created the character, disliked the adaptation, describing it as boring and one-dimensional, and clashed with producer Daniel R. Goodman over its direction, judging it too juvenile.[10](https://spiderfan.org/title/shows/spiderman_tv_1970s.html) • [2](https://comic-watch.com/television-shows/forgotten-television-the-amazing-spider-man-1977) Comic fans criticized the changes to the storyline and the absence of real supervillains, and modern aggregate scores reflect that verdict: season 1 registers 20% on the Tomatometer, with reviewers citing low production quality, a goofy costume, and rope standing in for webbing.[5](https://spiderman.fandom.com/wiki/The_Amazing_Spider-Man_%281977_TV_series%29) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_amazing_spider_man/s01)
The series occupies a specific place in the character's screen history. It followed the live-action "Spidey Super Stories" segments on the children's series *The Electric Company* (1974–1977), and ran alongside the Japanese tokusatsu adaptation *Supaidāman* (1978–1979), which replaced Peter Parker entirely.[13](https://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/93641/1/WRAP_Theses_Taylor_2016.pdf) The show has never received a complete official home-video or streaming release, and it survives mainly through fan circulation and as a footnote in the character's adaptation history.[2](https://comic-watch.com/television-shows/forgotten-television-the-amazing-spider-man-1977)
## References
1. [Amazing Spider-Man, The, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/amazing_spider-man_the)
2. [Forgotten Television: The Amazing Spider-Man 1977, Comic Watch](https://comic-watch.com/television-shows/forgotten-television-the-amazing-spider-man-1977)
3. [The Amazing Spider-Man (TV Series 1977–1979) Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076975/fullcredits/)
4. [Spider-Man (1977) TV Pilot Review, When It Was Cool](https://www.whenitwascool.com/spiderman-1977-tv-pilot-review)
5. [The Amazing Spider-Man (1977 TV series), Spider-Man Wiki](https://spiderman.fandom.com/wiki/The_Amazing_Spider-Man_%281977_TV_series%29)
6. [The Amazing Spider-Man: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_amazing_spider_man/s01)
7. [The Marvel Studios Story (HarperCollins Leadership), excerpt](https://imp.dayawisesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/The_Marvel_Studios_Story_How_a_Failing_Comic_Book_Publisher_Became.pdf)
8. [Amazing Spider-Man, The (CBS 1977), Memorable TV](https://www.memorabletv.com/tv/amazing-spider-man-the-cbs-1977-nicholas-hammond-robert-f-simon/)
9. [With Great Power Comes Great Boredom — Spider-Man (1977) and Dr. Strange (1978), Reactor](https://reactormag.com/with-great-power-comes-great-boredom-spider-man-1977-and-dr-strange-1978/)
10. [Spider-Man TV (1977) Introduction, SpiderFan.org](https://spiderfan.org/title/shows/spiderman_tv_1970s.html)
11. [Superhero Shows: Retrospective 1977](https://superheroshows.blogspot.com/2009/04/retrospective-1977.html)
12. [The Amazing Spider-Man (1977-1979) – Review, Mana Pop](https://manapop.com/tv/the-amazing-spider-man-1977-1979-review/)
13. [A historical contextualisation of Spider-Man adaptations, University of the Witwatersrand thesis](https://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/93641/1/WRAP_Theses_Taylor_2016.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Adapted and franchise screen series › Comic-book and superhero television series › Marvel television series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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