Summary

This thrilling, contemporary twist on the timeless legend of Tarzan turns the popular tale into an urban adventure, an intriguing mystery and, most of all, an unconventional crime drama. Two decades ago, young John Clayton's parents died in a plane crash and left him alone in the African jungle, where he grew up among apes and other wild animals. A solitary human in the pure and primal order of this untamed world, John Clayton emerged as the fearless Tarzan (newcomer Travis Fimmel). Captured by his billionaire uncle, Richard Clayton (Mitch Pileggi, The X-Files), the CEO of powerful Greystoke Industries, Tarzan is returned, against his will, to his family's home in New York City. Within the Clayton family, Tarzan's return has unleashed rivalries that have festered for decades. His uncle Richard is bitterly estranged from his younger sister Katherine Clayton the witty, sardonic and beautiful newspaper publisher who is Tarzan's aunt. While Richard believes that his desire to rehabilitate Tarzan and make him a real member of society is in Tarzan's own best interest, Katherine believes that what Tarzan really needs is their help and support as he finds his own way in this strange new world. Now that their nephew has returned from the dead as Tarzan, Richard and Katherine have squared off in a new battle. While they are both driven by love - for Tarzan and for the family - they also know that whoever controls Tarzan, controls Greystoke Industries as well. Resisting captivity, Tarzan escapes into the concrete jungle of New York City where he encounters the strong-willed NYPD detective Jane Porter (stage actress Sarah Wayne Callies). Jane's perfectly ordered life is turned upside-down by her attraction to Tarzan and his dangerous yet profoundly untainted morality. Romantically involved with another member of the force, Detective Michael Foster (Johnny Messner, Tears of the Sun), Jane is left to choose between reason and instinct, civilization and pure humanity, her head and her heart. While the rivalry between Tarzan and Michael quickly becomes explosive, the sudden shift in Jane's world also affects her partner Sam Sullivan (Miguel A. Núñez, Jr., Scooby Doo). Though he appears brash and irreverent, Sam is a dedicated cop, and he is stunned by Jane's reckless behavior and her obsession with this mysterious fugitive. Now that Tarzan is a part of her life, Jane sees everything differently, especially her work with the police force. Crimes of violence, greed and revenge suddenly take on a deeper and more disturbing meaning, and she is more troubled than ever before by what she sees. Looking at society from Tarzan's perspective, Jane begins to wonder what it really means to be "civilized." Drawn together from different worlds, Tarzan and Jane share passions that are only heightened by the gulf between them. Tarzan's feelings for Jane now keep him in New York, but his view of the world is unchanged. Confronted with a city that exists in shades of gray, Tarzan still sees everything in black and white. When he comes across an innocent person in trouble, he reacts swiftly and sometimes brutally, guided by the sense of justice that is the core of his being. Driven by his devotion to Jane and his unwavering sense of right and wrong, Tarzan makes his way through New York City, using instinct, his unique physical abilities and wits sharpened by years in the jungle. Tarzan is a modern day hero - an extraordinary man living in the real and all-too-brutal modern world. Tarzan is from executive producers Laura Ziskin (Spider-Man, Pretty Woman), David Gerber (The Lost Battalion), P.K. Simonds (Party of Five, Beauty and The Beast) and co-executive producer Eric Kripke (Battle of the Sexes) and is produced by Laura Ziskin Productions and The Gerber Company for Warner Bros. Television Production Inc.- TheWB.com Press Release