Todd McFarlane’s Spawn
Cast & Key People
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Our Review
Cast & Key People
▶
Our Review
Todd McFarlane's Spawn (1997) is a action and horror series from HBO. It has built a run of 18 episodes at roughly 30 minutes each. It premiered on May 16, 1997. Viewers rate it 7.6 out of 10. It is currently ended. It runs 3 seasons.
What Todd McFarlane's Spawn Is About
Adults-only animated series about a CIA hit man whose death causes him to seal a deal with the devil. But the devil transforms him into ‘hell spawn,’ a dark warrior who battles the forces of evil on the earth–and in himself.
What to Expect When You Watch
Episodes run about 30 minutes, which keeps the pace tight, the full run covers 18 episodes, spread across 3 seasons and it leans into its action/horror roots while leaving room for the quieter character beats.
Performance-wise the series leans on Keith David, Richard Dysart and Todd McFarlane to carry the emotional weight, with the rest of the ensemble filling out the world around them.
Cast and Creative Team
Keith David, Richard Dysart and Todd McFarlane lead the cast.
Key roles include Keith David as Spawn; Richard Dysart as Cogliostro.
Why It Stands Out
Fans of action, horror and supernatural have a clear reason to give this one a shot. It sits comfortably alongside HBO’s other originals, a 7.6/10 audience score puts it in steady company and it commits to its premise instead of hedging between tones.
Released in 1997 and carried by HBO with the series still ended, it lands hardest with action and horror viewers.
How Todd McFarlane's Spawn Compares
If Todd McFarlane's Spawn lands for you, the next stops are Avatar: The Last Airbender, Attack on Titan and Star Trek: The Next Generation, which share its action/horror lean.
Each of those sits at a different point on the same spectrum, so they make a natural follow-up once you finish the run here.
Where to Stream
Todd McFarlane's Spawn comes from HBO. Check your preferred platform for current availability, since regional rights move around.
Disclosure: We may earn a commission if you sign up for a streaming service through links on this page. This helps support our independent reviews.
On the whole Todd McFarlane's Spawn is the kind of series that rewards a patient watch, with Keith David and Richard Dysart doing the heaviest lifting, a tone that stays true to its action/horror roots, It has held up since 1997 and so if the premise sounds like your lane, the execution holds up.
The Bottom Line
Todd McFarlane's Spawn is a safe bet for anyone already inside the action and horror lane, at 18 episodes it is an easy run to work through, the audience score holds around 7.6/10 and so there is little risk in starting it tonight.
Verdict: 7.6/10. Watch it if you want action/horror you can settle into.
