Prime Video makes major decision on Nicolas Cage’s ‘Spider-Noir’ after hit first season
Prime Video has canceled a second season of ‘Spider-Noir,’ the Marvel show headlined by Nicolas Cage that finished its first eight-episode run in May. This latest decision means that Ben Reilly’s journey is over for now, particularly with the show now on the path to the Emmys. ‘Spider-Noir’ appeared on MGM+ on May 25 and was made available worldwide on Prime Video two days later. Cage played Ben Reilly, a failing detective from 1930s New York who must revisit his past life as The Spider after suffering a personal tragedy. Other notable cast members included Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li, Karen Rodriguez, Abraham Popoola, Jack Huston, and Brendan Gleeson.
The show received strong reviews and positive reception. It earned a solid 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and earned eleven nominations for the 2026 Emmy season, making it the most recognized title on Prime Video this year. The nominations will be announced this weekend, with the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys being held in Los-Angeles. So why cancel a show that critics liked and Emmy voters clearly noticed? Money. According to Deadline, the show achieved acceptable but not high viewership, along with a very high production cost that included shooting color and black-and-white versions of each episode. The reasoning behind not renewing the show was quite clear. The numbers did not add up as far as renewal is concerned.
Furthermore, ‘Spider-Noir’ was No. 2 on Nielsen’s U.S. Top 10 for original series in its launch week, pulling in an impressive 851 million minutes and 2.6 billion minutes in the first six weeks. In general, it was a good start for the series, but it was not long-lasting, as it dropped quickly from the number one spot, which streaming platforms consider when deciding whether to renew the show. However, the show’s achievements should be considered, as it was the first live-action series to result from the deal between Amazon and Sony Pictures Television. Both organizations are moving forward with many projects even though one of them is still under wraps, and reports indicate that it is already making progress towards a potential series order. There are also more ‘Spider-Man’ stories in the pipeline thanks to Sony’s vast library of over nine hundred characters, which means that Amazon won’t be leaving this corner of the Marvel cinematic world anytime soon.
