Tarzan (2003 TV series)
Tarzan | |
---|---|
Promotional poster | |
Genre |
Adventure[1] Drama[2] |
Created by | Eric Kripke |
Starring | see cast below |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of episodes | 8 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Running time | 45 minutes |
Production company(s) |
Laura Ziskin Productions The Gerber Co. Warner Bros. Television |
Release | |
Original network | The WB |
Picture format |
480i SDTV 720p HDTV |
Original release | October 5 – November 23, 2003 |
Tarzan is an American television series that premiered on October 5, 2003 on The WB. Based on the Tarzan series by Edgar Rice Burroughs and developed by Eric Kripke, the show was set in New York City, depicting a modern-day adaptation on Burroughs' characters. The series was canceled after eight episodes.
Synopsis and creator commentary
NYPD detective Jane Porter's ordinary life is disrupted when a routine case unexpectedly leads her to John Clayton, who prefers to be called Tarzan. After being proclaimed dead for 20 years, John Clayton was found in the jungles of Africa by his billionaire uncle, Richard Clayton, who is the CEO of powerful Greystoke Industries. Held against his will at his uncle's home, Tarzan escapes and prowls all over the city, helping others in need. Upon meeting Jane, he begins to follow her from her home to crime scenes, simultaneously assisting her with her police cases.
Kripke was critical of the show, calling it "a piece of crap" and saying: "I'll stand behind the pilot. It has a beginning, middle, and -- the problem -- it ends. I was hungry to have anything in production, so I wrote a 50-page story that ended. Then it got made and I had something in production and it was all my dreams come true. They said to me, 'Let's do 12 more.' I said, 'Uh, wait! What's the story?' So, Tarzan was a hell ride in every way, and we only did eight before they wisely put us out of our misery."
Cast
Main cast
- Travis Fimmel as John Clayton Jr./Tarzan, heir & shareholder of Greystoke Industries
- Sarah Wayne Callies as Detective Jane Porter
- Miguel A. Núñez Jr. as Detective Sam Sullivan
- Leighton Meester as Nicki Porter, Jane's sister
- Lucy Lawless as Kathleen Clayton, newspaper publisher, shareholder of Greystoke Industries and aunt of John Clayton Jr./Tarzan
- Mitch Pileggi as billionaire Richard Clayton, CEO & shareholder of Greystoke Industries and uncle of John Clayton Jr./Tarzan
Recurring/guest
- James Carroll as Howard Rhinehart
- Fulvio Cecere as Detective Gene Taylor
- Marcus Chait as Gary Lang
- Joe Grifasi as Lieutenant Scott Connor
- Tim Guinee as Donald Ingram
- Johnny Messner as Detective Michael Foster
- Douglas O'Keeffe as Patrick Nash
- David Warshofsky as Sheriff Tim Sweeney
Episodes
The series premiered on October 5, 2003 and ended on November 23, 2003 with a total of 8 episodes.
# | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Pilot" | David Nutter | Eric Kripke | October 5, 2003 | 176650 |
Detective Jane Porter meets John Clayton who escaped from his billionaire uncle's confinement at the headquarters of Greystoke Industries. Porter and her partner, Sam Sullivan involve themselves in a homicide case. | |||||
2 | "Secrets and Lies" | David Nutter | Eric Kripke | October 12, 2003 | 176651 |
Tarzan assists Jane with a police case, helping her find a group of men responsible for attacking a young woman in Central Park. After discovering Tarzan is still alive, Jane's fiance Michael negotiates with Tarzan's uncle to capture him. Meanwhile, Jane contacts Tarzan's aunt, Kathleen Clayton, whom she hopes will protect Tarzan from his uncle. | |||||
3 | "Wages of Sin" | David Solomon | P.K. Simonds | October 19, 2003 | 176652 |
Jane enlists Tarzan's help to aid her investigation by using his extraordinary tracking skills to find a child who has disappeared. Sam learns of Tarzan's involvement and his role in Michael's death, and becomes conflicted with the decision of turning Tarzan in. | |||||
4 | "Rules of Engagement" | Perry Lang | Molly Newman | October 26, 2003 | 176653 |
Richard Clayton discovers that his estranged sister Kathleen has been sheltering Tarzan from him. Meanwhile, Jane meets the sole witness to Michael's death. Sam disagrees with her actions as she attempts to prevent the witness from testifying and possibly incriminating Tarzan before Richard can get to him. | |||||
5 | "Emotional Rescue" | James Marshall | Leonard Dick | November 2, 2003 | 176654 |
Nicki worries over her friend's disappearance. Jane and Sam suspect a man whom Nicki's friend met over the internet and who may be more dangerous than he appears. As the investigation on Michael's killer continues, Jane pleads to Tarzan to stay hidden at his aunt's house. However, Nicki enlists Tarzan's help to make sure her friend is safe. | |||||
6 | "Surrender" | Harry Winer | Lynne Litt | November 9, 2003 | 176655 |
Coerced by Richard, Donald Ingram, the lone witness to Michael's death, falsely names Tarzan as the one responsible for the crime and in the process incriminating Jane as well. In exchange for Tarzan's safety, Kathleen contemplates on giving up her entire shares of Greystoke Industries to Richard. Tarzan considers returning to the jungle. | |||||
7 | "For Love of Country" | Thomas J. Wright | Leonard Dick & Mere Smith | November 16, 2003 | 176656 |
Tarzan and Jane flee into the mountains to escape the vengeful cops seeking to arrest them. Jane places her trust in Tarzan, relying on his jungle skills to survive in the woods. | |||||
8 | "The End of the Beginning" | Peter Ellis | Lynne Litt & Michael Reisz | November 23, 2003 | 176657 |
The police arrest Jane and in exchange for Jane's safety and freedom, Tarzan surrenders himself to Richard. Richard attempts to have Tarzan declared legally insane so that he can claim legal custody of him and his Greystoke shares. In the meantime, Kathleen fights to free them both. But when Richard goes back on his promise to help Jane, Tarzan breaks free and begins hunting Richard. |
List of songs used
The opening theme song is "Try" by Paloalto.
# | Episode | Songs |
---|---|---|
1. | Pilot |
|
2. | Secrets and Lies |
|
3. | Wages of Sin |
|
4. | Rules of Engagement |
|
5. | Emotional Rescue |
|
6. | Surrender |
|
7. | For Love of Country |
|
8. | The End of the Beginning |
|
Crew
- Eric Kripke - developer, story, teleplay and co-executive producer
- Michael Colleary - developer and story
- Mike Werb - developer and story
- Leonard Dick - writer and producer
- David Gerber - executive producer
- Lynne Litt - writer
- Peter McIntosh - producer
- Molly Newman - co-executive producer
- David Nutter - executive producer
- P.K. Simonds - writer and executive producer
- Mere Smith - writer and co-producer
- Pamela Oas Williams - producer
- Laura Ziskin - executive producer
- Jason Derlatka - music composer
- Jon Ehrlich - music composer
See also
References
- ↑ "Tarzan". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
- ↑ "Tarzan". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
External links
- Tarzan at the Internet Movie Database
- Tarzan at TV.com