Spider-Noir Was Not Nicolas Cage’s First TV Show – This Was…

Having just finished Spider-Noir (and thoroughly enjoyed it), I felt the need to read a few reviews of the show to see if my opinion matched with those of the critics.  It did – Spider-Noir is widely considered an entertaining and visually unique show, with a distinct and very stylish noir aesthetic.  However, several of the reviews stated that this was Nicolas Cage’s first TV show – something that isn’t quite correct…

In fact, Cage has dipped his toe in to TV waters once or twice over the years, most notably taking a co-starring role in 1981’s The Best of Times.  At that time, he was billed as Nicolas Coppola (his real name). It was broadcast by ABC on July 13, 1981 – and as it was a TV Pilot, it was most likely shot a few months earlier. As Nicolas Cage was born on January 7, 1964, this means he was 17 years old at the time of broadcast and was probably 17 during filming as well (assuming filming took place in spring 1981).  

Spider-Noir Opening Title Sequence: A Perfect Blend of Noir Visuals and KIRBY's 'Saving Grace'

The opening title sequence for Spider-Noir, the new superhero series developed by Oren Uziel for MGM+ and Prime Video (and produced by SPTV) is slick, stylized and dark – a perfect match for the series starring Nicholas Cage, Brendan Gleeson and Li Jun Li. I had to double-check another cast member, Lukas Haas, and sure enough, the last memory I have of him is when he played the part of the Amish child who witnesses a murder in the 1985 Harrison Ford vehicle Witness.  There are plenty of other familiar faces in the show, but back to the opening title sequence. The title sequence was created by Digital Kitchen, the long-running design and motion graphics studio behind title work for shows such as Dexter, Narcos, and True Detective.

The sequence establishes a pulpy, and haunting tone which fits perfectly into the film noir genre, with the use of dark imagery and evocative music used to introduce us to the world of alternate New York City, telling us, handily enough, that Spider our erstwhile hero, has not been spotted fighting crime for a while.  We see Ben Reilly (Cage) as well as some of the other characters who will feature in the series using broken mirror imagery, which serves as a visual metaphor for both the protagonist’s fractured identity as well as the state of the city in which he lives.  This imagery perfectly reinforces the show’s dark, noir-inspired tones (even though I have chosen to watch it in colour), highlighting the theme that he really isn’t the man he was (before he was the man he was!) and is trying to put his life back together whilst at the same time being haunted by his own history as well as a personal tragedy.  I particulalry like the way we learn about what has been happening in New York and to Spider-Noir through the newspaper headlines that are interspersed throughout the title sequence, which establishes the backstory - a nice touch (and yes, it's been done before but this feels very fresh).

The chosen track is spot on, too. It is “Saving Grace” by KIRBY and is a great choice. It was written specifically for Spider-Noir rather than being an older song that was reused. It creates a smoky, cinematic mood with a dash of melancholy, and has an introspective, haunting quality which, like everything else about this intro, sets the tone for the show beautifully.

The opening is attracting a lot of attention, with one commenter on YouTube saying “This is definitely one of my favourite tv openings ever.”  By the number of likes on that comment, they are not alone in their thoughts.  I, too, think it is pitch-perfect for the show.  Another says “We may skip a lot of intros but not this one”  while a third admits “I’ve never skipped the intro even once .. one of the greatest opening themes I’ve ever heard”.  High praise indeed – and a quick addition from myself – I love it!