5. THE AMAZING SPIDER MAN SERIES
In 1977, Stan Lee sold CBS the rights to a Spider Man series – possibly because of CBS’s reputation as a network for superheroes (CBS also aired “The Incredible Hulk” and Wonder Woman after ABC cancelled it). The series starred Nicholas Hammond as Peter Parker/Spider-Man (but all of his stunts aka when was wearing the suit were done by Fred Waugh). Beginning as a backdoor pilot simply titled Spider-Man, the series was broadcast in September of 1977 on CBS and theatrically internationally.
The network was reluctant to give the show a permanent time slot due to how poorly it performed with older audiences. Instead episodes were broadcast sporadically within sweeps weeks. The decision was made to tone down Spider-Man’s powers and keep his abilities more grounded and made for “mature” audiences. In a way, one could argue that The Amazing Spider-Man was a precursor to Marvel’s Netflix shows with their down to earth plotlines and more grounded superhuman abilities.
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