Tarzan

From the day two decades ago that young John Clayton's parents died and left him alone in the African jungle, he was raised by apes and has emerged as the fearless Tarzan. Captured by his billionaire uncle, Richard Clayton, the CEO of powerful Greystoke Industries, Tarzan is returned, against his will, to his family's home in New York City. Resisting captivity, he escapes into the concrete jungle of New York City where he encounters the strong-willed NYPD detective Jane Porter. Jane's perfectly ordered life is turned upside-down by Tarzan's dangerous yet profoundly untainted morality. Romantically involved with another member of the force, Detective Michael Foster, Jane is left to choose between reason and instinct, civilization and pure humanity, her head and her heart.

Tarzan (2003) is an American action adventure drama created by Eric Kripke for The WB. Travis Fimmel plays John Clayton, a man raised by apes in the African jungle who is dragged back to New York City by his billionaire uncle Richard Clayton (Mitch Pileggi), the chief executive of Greystoke Industries. Resisting the gilded cage of his family's home, he escapes into the city's concrete jungle and crosses paths with NYPD detective Jane Porter (Sarah Wayne Callies), whose orderly life is upended by his dangerous yet uncorrupted sense of right and wrong. Her partner Detective Sam Sullivan (Miguel A. Núñez Jr.) and a romantic rival, Detective Michael Foster, keep pulling her toward a safer life, while the family's dark secrets and corporate ambitions press in from every side. The engine of the series is the tension between civilization and instinct, with each episode built around a sharp urban crime that exposes what the wild man's honesty costs and what it can protect. Shot with the glossy, sweeping energy of a network action hour, the show balances pulpy adventure, a heated love triangle and a lingering melancholy about belonging. Fans of Beauty and the Beast and the mythic-hero reimaginings of Lost will find resonance in its romantic pull between wildness and order. Its single season of eight hour-long episodes was cancelled before the story could fully unfold, leaving the central question open.

• Lostshared fish out of water civilization versus instinct premise, action adventure tone
• Beauty and the Beast (1987)shared feral outsider in modern city, romantic crime drama with a strong female lead
• Human Targetshared mythic hero adapted to a contemporary urban police setting

Created by

Eric Kripke

Release Date

2003-10-05

Episode runtime

60 min

Rating

6.6 / 10 (21)

What is Tarzan about?

A feral man raised in the African jungle is pulled into New York City and tangles with a principled NYPD detective who must choose between reason and instinct.

What is Tarzan like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Tarzan as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is Tarzan violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Tarzan as mild.

Which shows are like Tarzan?

Shows with a similar feel include Lost, Beauty and the Beast (1987), and Human Target.

How long is Tarzan?

Tarzan: 1 season, 8 episodes.

Is Tarzan still running?

No, Tarzan was canceled.