I know the theme has been covered in film & tv since the early 1900s industrial age, but if we're talking about hugely successful, long-running shows, is the Ultraman franchise the first?

I'm posting this in Ultraman just because it's the most popular of the franchise, but it really began with Ultraman's predecessor Ultra Q (1965) which was a Twilight Zone clone, except that Ultra Q states in the narration that all these bizarre 'supernatural' happenings are the result of humans F-ing with nature.

The episodes are subtle but clear, especially by the time we get to Ultraman Ace where the monsters are mutations of species that we've hunted to extinction, or factory farm animals like Cowra, and they're presented as gods who come for revenge. It gives the show an interesting depth beyond the standard alien lizard monster stuff.

Anyway is the Ultra series the first, or can anyone point out some shows that came earlier?