In 1912 Edgar Rice Burroughs created the timeless character of Tarzan. Many books have been written about him. More than 40 movies have been made about the legend, more than any other character. And the lord of the apes has had many TV shows created about him, none long lasting. But that could change.

The WB’s new show Tarzan started last Sunday night on a positive, but shaky, note.

The show starts with police officer Jane Porter (Sarah Wayne Callies), who, while investigating a case, accidentally runs into a mystery man. She chases this man to the rooftops where they are interrupted by masked commandos, who take this wild man away without a word of explanation to the bewildered officer.

Jane soon discovers this mystery man is Tarzan (Travis Fimmel), as he calls himself, the long lost heir of Greystoke Industries. He is being held captive by his uncle (Mitch Pileggi), who seems to have ulterior motives.

It’s love at first sight for Tarzan and Jane and the actors do a good job at portraying that. However, the actors do not seem to be comfortable in their roles. This affects the show’s ability to succeed since the two of them are the main draw to watch each week.
The creators of the new series have stated that the focus they want is on the mythology of Tarzan and his Greystoke legacy (Tarzan’s real name). In other words, the love story will not be the main point of the show.

As for the rest of the cast, Pileggi, of X-Files fame, does a good job in his role but has not shown his characters full potential as the bad guy. The other characters, so far, have no real importance to Tarzan’s story. Most of them are officers involved in Jane’s life but are still insignificant at this point.

A major change from the books to the show is the setting. Instead of an exotic jungle locale, the story takes place in New York City. This means no vines to swing from, only skyscrapers to climb and leap to and from. This does not hurt the character at all, it is just a new environment for him to tame.

One very positive aspect of the show is Tarzan’s movement. Fimmel moves like Tarzan is supposed to move, making the fact that he was raised in the jungle by gorillas more believable, yet he can walk like a man.

Whatever the creators decide to do, the story lines need to be developed beyond the simple introduction of each character in the pilot. With a character that has been around for more than a century, that should not be too difficult.

Despite the actors needing more time in their roles and the plot needing more development as the season progresses, the show is entertaining for now.