Official Trailer
Rating: 0/10 | Genre: Mystery, Crime, Action & Adventure | Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 8 | Status: In Production
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li, Karen Rodriguez, Abraham Popoola
I just finished Spider-Noir and honestly? It’s a mess. A really entertaining mess, but a mess nonetheless. Going in, I had high hopes. Nicolas Cage as a washed-up private eye in 1930s New York dealing with his superhero past sounds like gold. The setup is there. The cast is there. But somewhere along the way, this show loses the plot. Literally.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not terrible. There are moments where it clicks and you remember why you started watching. But the eight-episode season feels like it’s fighting with itself about what kind of show it wants to be. One episode it’s a hardboiled noir mystery, the next it’s trying to be this campy superhero thing. It never quite finds its footing.
Season 1
So Ben Reilly is this aging detective in 1930s New York who used to swing around the city as the only superhero it’s ever seen. Now he’s just trying to do regular detective work and make rent. He gets hired for what seems like simple cases, but it all spirals into something bigger involving mobsters, monsters, and this mysterious woman who knows way too much about his past.
The first three episodes are actually pretty solid. Cage brings this world-weary energy that works perfectly for the character. He looks tired in a way that feels earned. The New York setting is gorgeous, all shadows and rain and period detail. Episode 1 sets up the mystery fine. Episode 2 gets him investigating properly. Episode 3 introduces the femme fatale and things start getting weird.
Here’s where it falls apart though. Episodes 4 through 6 are just spinning wheels. The plot moves forward but nothing really lands. The monsters feel random. The mob stuff feels generic. And the show keeps hinting at this big connection between his current cases and his old superhero life, but it takes forever to actually get there. By episode 6 I was checking how many episodes were left.
Lamorne Morris plays Reilly’s former partner who helps him out, and he’s fine. Li Jun Li is the mysterious woman and she does the best with what she’s given, which isn’t much. Karen Rodriguez and Abraham Popoola are around too but honestly I struggled to remember what their characters were doing half the time.
The last two episodes finally get back on track. When it starts connecting the dots between the cases and Reilly’s past life as a superhero, the show remembers it has an actual story to tell. The finale isn’t perfect but it’s way better than the middle section. It makes you wish the whole season had that kind of momentum.
Nicolas Cage is really the only reason to watch this. He carries it hard. When the show is just him being a bitter old detective it’s great. When it tries to throw in the superhero action stuff and the monsters and the convoluted plot twists, it loses what made Cage interesting in the first place.
Is it worth watching? If you like noir stuff or you’re a Cage fan, sure. Stick with it and you’ll get some good episodes out of it. But don’t expect it to be some masterpiece. It’s the kind of show where you’re entertained enough to keep watching but frustrated that it’s not as good as it could be. The bones are there for something really special. They just didn’t quite pull it off this time.
Have you watched it yet, or are you thinking about starting it? Curious what other people thought about how they handled the spider-man stuff.
Episode Guide
Season 1 (8 Episodes)
Episode 1: Step into My Office
It won't end the way you want it to.
Episode 2: Tread Lightly
You're an investigator; investigate.
Episode 3: Double Cross
The quicker you prove it, the quicker they die.
Episode 4: A Mistake I'll Never Make Again
I don't know, I think he's still got it.
Episode 5: Betrayal
Careful is for stock tips and hot sauce.
Episode 6: Nightmare on a Gurney
If you haven't found the answer, it's because there isn't one.
Episode 7: Nobody's Hero
I can't protect you when I'm dead.
Episode 8: The Man in the Mask
Gee whiz, what's a down-on-his-luck private investigator to do?
Where to Watch
Streaming availability varies by region. Check your favorite streaming platform to see if this title is available in your country.