Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is a cartoon recently released on Disney+. Originally titled Spider-Man: Freshman Year, the project was announced in late 2021 and later re-titled in late 2023 to Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. The premise follows the origin story of the young Peter Parker during his early high school years, as he balances his social and academic responsibilities with that of his crime fighting vigilante persona: Spider-Man. While the series was initially intended to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was ultimately moved to its own alternative continuity, allowing for a more engaging and creative universe without restriction.
Before I discuss the show’s merits and shortcomings, it is important to note the pre-release controversies that affected its reception—my own included. To start, the leading voice actor for Spider-Man made a statement in an interview before the premiere of the show that sparked backlash. He said he was especially excited to work on the show because “My biggest fear was that it was gonna be annoying or woke, and it wasn’t, and I was like, ‘Yes, this is great, it’s so well written,’ like it feels real.” This statement confused and frustrated fans, not only because of its clunky phrasing, but because it used “woke” as a synonym for something negative or low-quality. Hudson Thames later clarified that it was “...Such a poor choice of words…”, but by then, the damage was done and left many viewers, including myself, wary about the show’s overall tone and quality.
The second controversy centered on the show’s animation and art style. From the first teaser, various internet denizens voiced strong opinions about its unique cel shaded style combined with 3-D animation. The main criticism wasn’t about the style itself, but rather the perceived lack of fluidity and polish. This saw many critiquing the animation for being more “ugly” and “janky” looking, specifically compared to the recent Spider–Verse films, with their jaw-dropping and seamless animation style. While the animation is certainly not as flashy as other animated shows, I personally found that the show was able to look quite vibrant and expressive, especially in the final two episodes.
Controversies aside, I do ponder a reality where this show was not immediately met with disinterest from fans, because after watching the whole thing, I have to applaud it for having such a unique and creative direction. For one, the characterization of Peter Parker is surprisingly on point. There are several moments throughout the series where Peter is beaten down to the point where any rational human would rest. And yet, the moment there’s a cry for help, he always leaps into action. The sheer empathy and refusal to let anyone suffer made me very happy to see, and it helped outweigh some of my other critiques.
The supporting cast is also strong, most notably the addition of Peter’s classmate, Lonnie Lincoln. The show explores Lonnie’s descent into the crime-ridden underworld of New York City, charting his rise to becoming a respectable and charismatic gang leader. The way the episodes detail the personnel struggles Lonnie faces as he grapples with his desire to protect his family and his loyalty to his gang family are very poignant and well-written.
My main criticism of the series lies in its lackluster finale. The primary conflict is resolved very neatly in the penultimate episode, with Lonnie and Peter teaming up to defeat the nefarious Scorpion and his gang. When first watching, I completely forgot that there was another episode and thought that the series was complete. When I found out there was another episode, I cautiously hit play, curious as to where the show would go in its final episode.
Unfortunately, the finale left me disappointed, especially compared to the quality of the earlier episodes. Without spoiling much, it felt like the final episode existed solely as a corporate mandate to wrap up any and all loose plot threads from the very first episode and get audiences excited for season two. The finale felt clunky and lacked the same level of writing as the last few episodes. What’s more infuriating to me was that the last five minutes of this finale set up no less than five new teases for what’s to come next in season two. The way they presented it felt incredibly distasteful, and it made what was already a subpar finale even worse in my eyes.
Overall, I sincerely hope this show improves in its second season. While I enjoyed many aspects of this show, the controversies and finale made me understand why it didn’t resonate with everyone and why its viewership remained relatively low during its initial run. While it’s impossible for any TV show to satisfy every single viewer, I do hope that because the controversies have largely been forgiven that the show will find a larger audience when season two eventually drops. In a community as rabid and opinionated as the superhero fandom can be, my only hope is that a show as unique and creative as this is able to bounce back from its rocky start and become something truly spectacular.
