"Spider-Man" (1994) TV series 1994-1998

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Creators:

Steve Ditko
Stan Lee

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

19 November 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Family | Animation | Crime | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

A young man with spider like abilities fights crime as a superhero in New York City while trying to have a normal personal life.

Plot Keywords:

Spider-Man | Superhero | Super Villain | Super Power | Photographer

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Christopher Daniel Barnes	...	Peter Parker / ... (65 episodes, 1994-1998)
Roscoe Lee Browne	...	Kingpin / ... (33 episodes, 1995-1998)
Sara Ballantine	...	Mary Jane Watson / ... (32 episodes, 1995-1998)
Rodney Saulsberry	...	Joe 'Robbie' Robertson / ... (27 episodes, 1994-1998)
Jennifer Hale	...	Felicia Hardy / ... (27 episodes, 1995-1997)

Also Known As:

"Spiderman" (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

USA:22 min (65 episodes) | USA:30 min (65 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Hong Kong:IIA (Banned) | USA:TV-Y | USA:TV-Y7 (some episodes) | Malaysia:(Banned) (some episodes)

Company:

New World Entertainment Films

Trivia:

DEBUT: Alistair Smythe, Kingpin, Spencer Smythe, Norman Osborn, Harry Osborn, Felicia Hardy and Flash Thompson (episode 1.02 "The Spider Slayer")

Quotes:

Spider-Man: [talking about the bomb strapped to his wrist] No, no take it back. It clashes with the color of my costume.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#32.12)" (2004)

Started off good, but kept losing its way and trying to find its way back

This show started off good in its first season, even if it did take liberties to introduce Venom so early on. The 2nd season was a bit of a mess as Spider-Man/Peter Parker fought with a pesky mutation that turned out quite lethal before curing himself and THEN took the liberty of introducing Madam Web as a kind of female Obi-Wan to pester Spider-Man about this big destiny he had ahead of him. The 3rd season was okay except for that device that could transport people through alternate dimensions. After a while you'd have a few bright episodes here and there and then none at all, as they tried to do their own variation on the clone storyline. Spidey himself actually got pretty annoying after a while as the show became increasingly redundant with Spidey quitting every episode or every other episode, only to realize that he was being selfish and tried to go back on course. Christopher Daniel Barnes did a decent job of making Spidey a wisecracker and loveable underdog, but whenever Spidey had to give a speech or started whining about his Aunt May or Mary Jane, I wanted to smack him. The other voice actors were okay. Particularly worthy of note Neil Ross as Norman Osborne/the Green Goblin, Mark Hamill doing his Joker routine on the Hobgoblin and the guy who voiced J. Jonah Jameson.

When Spidey got married and found out that the gal he thought was Mary Jane was actually a clone, the wheels most definitely fell of the wagon. Now the show is only of interest for guest spots for Captain America, Iron Man, Dr. Strange, the X-Men, the Punisher, Daredevil, and the Fantastic Four. Trying to make the secret wars Spider-Man centered was not a good idea, only leading to an anti-climatic ending that left you hanging/hoping he would find MJ.

The animation was pretty decent, even though it was obvious that they were reusing the same shots of Spidey swinging through the city. The show was never very violent though, as Spidey never really got physical with his enemies except for the occasional kick to the chest.

Here's hoping one day they'll give it a better treatment.