Contrary to popular belief, "Spider-Man" was not canceled because of low ratings. In fact, the series performed well in the ratings, but TV politics were believed to have played a role in the cancellation; CBS executives apparently wanted to shed the network's image as "The Superhero Network," so they canceled the show, in addition to "Wonder Woman." (However, "The Incredible Hulk" remained at the network until 1982.)
This is the only Spider-Man TV show where Peter Parker's boss, J.Jonah Jameson doesn't believe Spider-Man is a menace.
CBS wanted to land Nicholas Hammond to play Peter Parker after seeing him perform in an English play at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Hammond accepted the role and told them he wanted to do a realistic portrayal of the character. He did not want it to be set up as a comedy like the 60s Batman TV show.
In the early 1970s, literary agent David Obst suggested to Stan Lee and Carmine Infantino, the then-editors of Marvel and DC Comics, respectively, that they create a "Superman vs. Spider-Man" film. Lee and Infantino liked the idea, but since the Superman (1978) film and The Amazing Spider-Man (1977) TV series were already planned, they decided to instead to make the idea as a comic book.
The series premiered as a feature-film on CBS in the United States. However this film was unique in that it was the first Spider-Man production to have a theatrical release. Its theatrical screenings were exclusive to Europe.