Tarzan



We should cherish the WB. No other network is making even a halfhearted stab at genre TV. (Yes, Star Trek: Enterprise on UPN is less than halfhearted.) Last night they premiered their latest pulp-franchise-turned-teen-soap, Tarzan.

The pilot, directed by David "Mr. Pilot" Nutter, was pretty good. In this version of the story, set in the present day, Tarzan was stranded in the jungle when he was old enough to talk, therefore sidetracking all that tedious "Me Tarzan, you Jane" stuff. We don't know exactly how or why he was brought back to civilization yet, though it does have something to do with his uncle, the head of Greystoke Industries. The uncle is played by Mitch Pileggi, servicing all your evil relative needs since 1983. The love interest is Jane, a cop, and there's a love triangle there because Jane is dating another cop. But this series will succeed or fail based on Travis Fimmel, the model playing Tarzan. Like the series, he works. He seems to be a passable actor, and more importantly he's burly and graceful. No Casper Van Diem style embarrassment here. I plan to keep watching.

Posted: Mon - October 6, 2003 at      

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