Ever since Spider-Man swung into the pages of Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962, the character has been one of the most recognizable in pop culture. Throughout his long and storied history, he’s played a massive role in the Marvel Comics universe, spawning multiple spin-off series and making countless appearances in other titles. He’s also been a major box office draw; every cinematic iteration of the character – from Sam Raimi’s trilogy to Marc Webb’s duology to Jon Watts’ MCU trilogy – has been a massive hit. Spider-Man has also fared almost as well on the small screen, although his many shows have experienced their share of ups and downs.
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Ranking all of the shows was no easy task – each one brings a unique perspective to Spider-Man and expands on the established lore in interesting — if not always successful — ways. Still, the task was completed, and here it is.
11. The Amazing Spider-Man (1977–1979)
CBS struck ratings gold with its other superhero shows, Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk, so the network decided to add another to its slate. The Amazing Spider-Man features college student Peter Parker, who gets bitten by a radioactive spider, gets a bunch of superhuman abilities, and fights crime. And that’s about it.
This show gets points for being the first live-action portrayal of Spider-Man, and a couple more points for Nicholas Hammond’s decent job as Peter Parker. However, other than J. Jonah Jameson, the series adapts almost no other characters from the comics; its special effects look very cheap, even by 1970s standards; and the whole thing is woefully dated.
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10. Spider-Man Unlimited (1999–2001)
Peter Parker finds himself on a planet called Counter-Earth, which is a lot like his own world but populated with warped versions of the people he knew and fought. Also, the denizens of Counter-Earth live under the tyranny of the High Evolutionary and his Bestials.
Spider-Man Unlimited is filled with a lot of bizarre creative decisions. It’s not only a massive departure from the style and plots from the previous — and more beloved — animated series, but is also a massive departure from the comics. While it’s got some fun moments featuring multiversal versions of other Marvel characters, overall it has almost nothing to do with Spider-Man and his lore.
9. Spider-Man (1981–1982)
This straightforward adaptation of the comics depicts Peter Parker as he struggles to balance his life as a university student, photographer for the Daily Bugle, and a good nephew to his dear old Aunt May.
Spider-Man doesn’t break much ground for the character, although it does deserve credit for its faithfulness to the source material. The dated, stiff animation hampers the viewing experience, but it features quite a few classic villains, including Sandman, Lizard, Green Goblin, and Kraven the Hunter, as well as appearances from more obscure characters like Black Cat, Ka-Zar, and Namorita.
8. Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981–1983)
Spider-Man teams up with Iceman from the X-Men and a brand-new character, Firestar, to form the world-saving Spider-Friends. But when they’re not fighting crime in New York City, they’re regular college kids who happen to live at Aunt May’s home, which she converted into a boarding house.
While Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends hasn’t aged particularly well, it captures the world of the comics quite well. There’s plenty of personal drama balanced with tons of action, and there are a surprising number of appearances from other Marvel characters, including Captain America, the X-Men, the Hulk, Doctor Strange, and Magneto.
7. Spider-Man (1967–1970)
When Peter Parker fails to save his Uncle Ben from being killed by a thief, he devotes his life to fighting crime as Spider-Man, using the powers he got from the bite of a radioactive spider.
Here it is, folks — the one that started it all. As corny as it is by today’s standards, Spider-Man also marks the first time a Marvel property existed outside of the comics, and actually stays pretty close to the source material. Well, the later seasons get a little psychedelic, but still. So many elements of this series have ingrained themselves into popular culture, from memes to its catchy theme song (“Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can”).
6. Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (2003)
Loosely set in the same continuity established in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, this series sees Peter Parker’s college life with his friends Mary Jane Watson and Harry Osborn. Meanwhile, he’s got to put up with a cadre of villains that’s constantly plaguing New York City.
Spider-Man: The New Animated Series was a pretty modern, sleek depiction of everyone’s favorite wall-crawler, so it’s no wonder that it aired on MTV. The CGI animation looks quaint today, but it boasts an impressive voice cast that includes Neil Patrick Harris as Spider-Man, Lisa Loeb as Mary Jane Watson, and Keith Carradine as J. Jonah Jameson. Heck, the show even had Rob Zombie as Dr. Curt Connors / Lizard and Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin.
5. Ultimate Spider-Man (2012–2017)
In this series, Peter Parker has only been Spider-Man for a year before Nick Fury recruits him to join S.H.I.E.L.D to be trained as a real superhero. But not just any superhero — Peter and a cohort of other superpowered teens are being trained to become the next generation of Avengers.
While the tone was considerably more kid-friendly compared to previous Spider-Man TV series, Ultimate Spider-Man puts a unique twist on ol’ webhead by turning him into a S.H.I.E.L.D. trainee. Spider-Man also breaks the fourth wall a fair bit with his signature quips, so Deadpool fans might also appreciate this show.
4. Spider-Man (2017–2020)
Peter Parker is a brilliant but insecure teen at the prestigious Horizon High. He becomes a superhero after developing special abilities from a radioactive spider bite, and he’s got some superpowered friends to join in his fight against evil, including Gwen Stacy (Ghost-Spider), Miles Morales (Ultimate Spider-Man), and Harry Osborn (Hobgoblin).
Spider-Man may deviate quite a bit from the source material in some respects, but giving Spider-Man a group of spider-friends actually works pretty well here. The series also deserves credit for focusing more on Peter’s advanced scientific intellect, something that’s rarely done in other depictions.
3. The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008–2009)
Peter Parker lives a complicated life: he’s a student at Midtown Manhattan Magnet High School, he’s a lab assistant to Curt Connors at Empire State University, he works as a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle to support his elderly Aunt May, and he has a messy social and romantic life. Oh, and he uses his superpowers to fight crime.
The Spectacular Spider-Man perfectly blended humor, heart, and action. Its surprisingly thoughtful writing emphasized Peter’s personal life and gave each character the right amount of attention. Unfortunately, the series was canceled after only two seasons, ending on a cliffhanger that will probably never be resolved.
2. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2025)
This series follows Peter Parker’s early days as Spider-Man. But instead of getting bitten by a radioactive spider just like in previous depictions of his origin story, he’s bitten by a spider from another universe, giving the series a wider world to explore.
While Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is still new, it’s already being touted as one of the best Spider-Man TV shows ever. It references multiple eras of the character, from the classic Stan Lee and Steve Ditko comic book run to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and everything in between. However, it still manages to find a new twist on Spider-Man and his world.
1. Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994–1998)
This Fox Kids series depicted Peter Parker’s life as a college student and all of the complications that come with balancing his relationships, his job, and saving the citizens of New York City.
Spider-Man: The Animated Series is to Spider-Man what Batman: The Animated Series was to Batman. The show’s creators had a deep understanding of what made the character work and weren’t afraid to tell complex, long-form stories that took place over multiple episodes. For many Spider-Man fans, this is a definitive portrayal of the character.
