The Legend of Tarzan (TV series)

Characters

Main

• Tarzan has assumed his role as leader of the gorillas. He married Jane, and they live in the jungle, residing in the treehouse that Tarzan's parents had built before their deaths. Although Tarzan doesn't live with Kala and the other gorillas, Tarzan will still take action to protect them and often seeks Kala's advice in dealing with situations. While Tarzan helps Jane get over her romantic ideas about jungle life, she acts as his guide to the duplicity of human nature — and insists he eats his food from a plate. It is a never-ending growth process for both, with insights into what "being civilized" means. Michael T. Weiss replaces Tony Goldwyn.
• Jane is married to Tarzan. She has settled into her new jungle life with Tarzan. When she begins to miss her old life in England, she tries to get Tarzan to act more "civilized," which sometimes poses problems to Tarzan's character. Her appearance and human actions often cause some members of Tarzan's gorilla tribe to have doubts about her and question Tarzan's leadership. Olivia d'Abo replaces Minnie Driver.
• Terk is a fun-loving gorilla and Tarzan's closest friend and older adoptive cousin. She has a soft-spot for Tarzan and is convinced that he cannot survive without her, despite Tarzan having proven repeatedly to be quicker, stronger, and more powerful at just about everything in the jungle than Terk. April Winchell replaces Rosie O'Donnell.
• Tantor is a paranoid and nervous elephant, but will always protect Tarzan and his friends. He shares a close bond with Terk and has grown close to Professor Porter.
• Kala acts as the voice of the apes, reminding Tarzan of his particular obligations to the family. She is also Jane's closest friend. The two share a warm, strong bond, and Jane regards her mother-in-law as her only kindred spirit in the jungle. From Kala's point of view, Jane is the human daughter she never had. Her open mind is a well of great wisdom, and she is almost always right. Even though Kerchak is gone, she is still highly respected. Although kind and motherly to Tarzan, Jane, and all the gorillas, Kala is almost undoubtedly the bravest gorilla in the family. Susanne Blakeslee replaces Glenn Close.
• Professor Porter is a noted scientist with years of expertise studying gorillas, though before arriving in Africa in the first film, he had never seen one in the wild. Sometimes the well-meaning professor gets absorbed in his thinking but often forgets what he's doing. Jeff Bennett replaces the late Nigel Hawthorne.
• Kerchak was the mate of Kala and the adoptive father of Tarzan. Kerchak is mentioned posthumously and appears in several flashbacks in the series. Tarzan carved a statue of him to commemorate his adoptive father and predecessor as leader of the gorilla troop. Henriksen is one of only three actors to reprise their roles from the film.

Allies

• Flynt and Mungo are clueless gorilla brothers. They have grown up alongside Tarzan, but they're still as dopey as ever, most likely due to self-inflicted head trauma from playing their childhood game "stop hitting yourself." While the brothers mean no harm, their dumb behavior may cause conflict for Tarzan. Since they spend all their time together, being separated for any length of time makes them anxious. They are two of only three characters to retain their voice actors from the film.
• Buto is the lead bull of a crash of western black rhinos.
• Manu is a mischievous baby baboon who is fascinated with humans. He often rummages through their belongings by trying on their clothes. He may even run off with a shiny keepsake or two. Like any curious child, he leaves a mess behind, much to the frustration of Tarzan and other family matters. His mischief, however, sometimes ends up doing more good than first assumed. Frank Welker replaces Dee Bradley Baker.
• Renard Dumont is a slick, opportunistic French proprietor of "Dumont's Trading Post", whose lust for material gain is compromised only by his persistent attempts to lure Jane from her life with Tarzan. Though somewhat of a nemesis in his first appearance, he later becomes a reluctant ally of Tarzan. A good example is when he disguises himself as a high-ranking official to secure the release of Tarzan, Hugo, and Hooft. He even allows Tarzan and his friends to borrow one of his boats to find out the source of the poison that has flown into the river and endangered the jungle.
• Hugo and Hooft – As deserters of the French Foreign Legion, these Americans now work for Dumont but still have the occasional run-in with Lt. Colonel Staquait, who considers their insubordination a capital offense. They also seem to owe money to "Joey the Shark," a loan shark in Chicago. Although they are smooth-talking conmen who try to cheat people out of money, they are good-natured and willing to do anything for their friends. They are based on actors Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.
• Jabari is the son of Biruti and Jamila, bearing an uncanny resemblance to the young Tantor. He and "Mr. Tantor" have bonded over their shared phobias and paranoia.
• Chief Keewazi is the leader of the Waziri tribe, an African ethnocultural group who live deep in the jungle.
• Basuli is Chief Keewazi's headstrong son and future leader of the Waziri tribe. He becomes a good friend of Tarzan. Tarzan once aided Basuli in retrieving an eagle's feather, which he needed as part of a rite of passage in order to marry. Though he and Tarzan are friends, they compete in many ways.
• Dr. Robin Doyle is an Irish anthropologist, with whom Professor Porter is smitten. The first time she came to Africa was to study the Waziri people with him; unbeknownst to her, he was afraid he was too old for her and sought out a fountain that he thought would make the drinker young again. In the episode "Tarzan and the Protege", she brought her nephew, Ian.
• Ian is Dr. Doyle's shy young nephew. He is a lonely and intelligent boy who feels displaced and misunderstood by his classmates due to his passion for both science and butterflies. Tarzan takes him under his wing and encourages him to experience the beauty and excitement of his jungle life so he can leave his fears behind and also provides him with greater self-confidence.
• Moyo is another gorilla in Tarzan's family. He once believed Tarzan cared more about Jane than the family. When Hista, an enormous red python, attacked while Tarzan was with Jane, Moyo managed to chase Hista away for the time being. When Tarzan returned, he boasted about this one-time accomplishment, claimed that Tarzan was too busy being with Jane to protect the family, and challenged Tarzan for the leadership of the gorillas. After some conflict, Moyo and Tarzan cooperated to rescue the family. Despite his arrogance and stubbornness, when the elephants and gorillas engage in jungle warfare, Moyo plays a big part in helping Tarzan lead the gorillas to victory. Just as the gorillas are about to triumph, a fire breaks out, and Moyo is the first gorilla to follow Tarzan's lead in putting out the fire.
• Hazel, Greenly, and Eleanor are three upper-class Englishwomen and Jane's old friends, who came to the jungle to "save" her from Tarzan. They initially thought she was unhappy. Hazel is said to be the biggest gossiper in the British Isles, which is how Robert Canler knew where to find Jane. Hazel also happens to be the name of Jane's best friend in the books, sharing her last name with the voice actor, Tara Strong.
• Mangani is a spirit who wanders around the jungle curing sick and wounded animals, apparently drawing his powers from the full moon. He takes the form of a white gorilla.

Villains

• William Cecil Clayton was mentioned and seen in one flashback. Clayton was the antagonist from the film, responsible for Kerchak's death, and meeting his own while fighting Tarzan; this caused Clayton's sister, Lady Waltham, to go mad for revenge.
• Tublat is a rogue gorilla and a former member of Tarzan's family. He challenged Kerchak for leadership, but he was defeated and cast out for trying to cheat. He shares his name with Kala's mate in the original books, though his personality is much more akin to the books' incarnation of Kerchak. Noted by the bones in the cave he formerly resided in, he may be carnivorous. He often calls Tarzan a "hairless runt." He has four toes on his right foot, and the presence of his tracks serve as an early warning to his presence.
• Queen La – In the original novels, she was a high priestess of a blood cult who fell in love with Tarzan. In her adaptation for the series, she is a former member of the Waziri tribe and an utterly vicious sorceress ruler over the abandoned city of Opar, where she lords over the Leopard Men. She falls in lust with Tarzan after he comes to rescue Professor Porter from the Leopard Men, who were capturing human men as potential husbands for La. Her attempts to seduce Tarzan fail every time, as he is firmly loyal to Jane.
• Samuel T. Philander is Professor Porter's academic rival, who frequently attempts to steal his ideas or garner fame by turning Tarzan in as the "missing link." On one occasion, he found Pellucidar, yet his photographic proof was ruined by Manu photographing himself. In his next appearance, Philander tried to capture the silver ape "Mangani," known for his healing powers. At one point, he even tried to capture Tarzan, but his men mistook Archimedes for Tarzan. His humiliations reduced him to living in a ratty apartment in Chicago and constantly ducking the landlord, when he was visited by Edgar Rice Burroughs, wanting to know what he knew about Tarzan. Philander is modeled after the British comedy actor Terry-Thomas.
• Count Nikolas Rokoff is a greedy former Russian count stripped of his title who hears about a treasure in the valley of the leopards and plans to find it to regain his title. Tarzan refuses to help him until Rokoff threatens to kill Jane if he doesn't. His intellectual battle with Tarzan goes like a chess game, until Tarzan finally releases the last few leopards from the boarded-up cave on him, but it is unclear if they kill Rokoff or not. Manu's family later steal the treasure.
• Lt. Colonel Staquait is a vicious, scar-faced Colonel in the French Foreign Legion. He sees himself on the right side of the law, but his draconian means do not justify his actions, putting him at odds with Tarzan. He acts as judge and executioner and has made it his goal to hunt down Hugo and Hooft because they refused his order to burn down a village full of women and children. Tarzan helped fake their demise, but eventually, the Colonel learned the truth and imprisoned them.
• Thaddeus Hunt is the leader of a band of kidnappers who try to kidnap Tarzan and former US President Theodore Roosevelt for ransom money. His two main minions are Jake, Sam, and Jones.
• Nuru and Sheeta are two vicious black panthers that frequently find and battle Tarzan. The two are often part of a group of leopards.
• Mabaya is a rogue bull elephant who originally belonged to the same herd as Jabari and his parents. Mabaya, like all rogues, is almost constantly angry and attacks or tramples anything in his path. He is recognized by his broken right tusk and bloodshot red eyes. Episodes featuring Mabaya usually require Tantor to overcome his fears and face down the renegade in a match.
• Hista is a giant crimson-skinned python who threatens the gorilla family until Tarzan and Moyo lured him into a tar pit, where the snake drowns. His weakness is that he, like other snakes, has poor vision and senses body heat to hunt, a weakness Tarzan uses to his advantage.
• Johannes Niels and Merkus are two miners who first came to the jungle to mine diamonds. Niels is the tall, blond-haired and calmer of the two, and Merkus is shorter, muscular and trigger-happy. Tarzan agreed to guide them to a volcano to dig for diamonds, on the condition that he gets one to give to Jane. After a mishap, they lose their diamonds and leave in chains. They later return to retrieve the diamonds, which may not have survived the lava. They are attacked by Tublat, whom they capture, and are about to take him around the world as a showpiece until Tarzan, along with a protesting Terk, rescue him. Once again, Niels and Merkus leave the jungle empty-handed.
• Zutho is a shady mandrill whom Tarzan, Terk, and Tantor first encountered as children at the forbidden side of the river. While Tarzan teaches Zutho and his friends, Gozan and Hugo, how to make spears, a fire broke out and nearly destroyed the jungle, though a fortuituously timed rainstorm put it out. Tarzan blamed himself and begged Zutho not to inform Kala of what had transpired, with Zutho declaring the boy to be in his debt. Years later, Zutho resurfaces to get Tarzan to repay the debt by dealing with some annoying monkeys who were keeping him up at night. With help from Jane, Terk, and Tantor, Tarzan did the right thing and admitted what happened the day of the fire to Kala, who then dealt with Zutho.
• Ian McTeague is a corrupt and greedy businessman. He started up an illegal mining operation near the mountain, where he and his men believe that there is gold for them to dig. As they do so, they use the water from the river to irrigate their operation, where they separate the dirt from ore with harsh chemicals, which are then later spilled out into the rest of the river heading toward the jungle. As a result, the wildlife fall ill after drinking from the river. Even the Waziri tribe fell victim to the plague.
• Lady Waltham is an aristocrat and the sister of the Clayton, who wants revenge on Tarzan for supposedly killing her brother. She had her valet Hobson capture Jane, Terk, Tantor, and Professor Porter, and then poisoned Tarzan. She then challenged him either to save his loved ones from danger or head to a mountain she dubbed "Clayton's Peak," where she claimed the antidote was located. Tarzan chooses to save his friends and family, and even ends up saving Lady Waltham from Nuru and Sheeta. Afterward, she gave Tarzan the antidote, after realizing that Tarzan would never have killed her brother on purpose. She is implied to have made peace with Tarzan and his family and has returned to her original life.
• Muviro is a treacherous Waziri warrior and one of Basuli's subordinates. Despite serving for Basuli, Muviro holds a grudge against him and is hostile toward outsiders. Upon learning that Basuli is planning to get an eagle's feather with Tarzan's help as part of the customs for Basuli to marry and be a future chief, Muviro secretly plotted to dispose of Basuli so that he can be the new chief.
• Robert Canler is Jane's old childhood friend and next-door neighbor, nicknamed Bobby, who known her since she was five. He is an ace pilot who carries a sword-cane with a silver eagle head and a Webley pistol and flies in a plane with floats. He once worked for British Intelligence but switched to the "other side" as a double agent when he realized how profitable it would be by bringing them a code machine that he gave Jane. Despite his betrayal of Jane, he rescues her from certain death before being arrested by Captain Nigel Taylor of the RAF.
• Sabor the Leopard.

Supporting

• Dania is a beautiful female elephant who wants to be with Tantor for her love. Terk gets the two elephants together, and they hit it off. Dania meets Tantor's friends except for Tarzan, whose tracking poachers. Dania strongly dislikes Terk, regarding her as obnoxious and loud.
• Bob Markham is a logger, widower, and single father to his daughter Abby. However, the way he was logging tore up so much soil that a long-dormant plague was released and threatened to kill his men and daughter.
• Abigail "Abby" Markham is the daughter of Bob Markham. She appears to be around 5–9 years old. Markham loves his daughter and will do anything for her. When she falls ill with the same plague that threatens his men, he asks for Tarzan's help to cure her.
• Gobu is a gorilla from another family. Tarzan and Terk saved him from being attacked by hyenas, only ending with a broken leg. Terk felt she wasn't girly enough for him. He managed to trick Tarzan into coming with him to his family so he could meet his leader. Tarzan then finds out Tublat is his leader. He showed up a few months ago and killed Gobu's original leader. Tublat and Tarzan prepare for battle, but Gobu stands up to him and reminds everyone that there is strength in numbers, and the gorillas gang up on Tublat, driving him off. Gobu then steps in to take place as a new leader. Terk tries her lady charms, but Gubo tells her that he always liked Terk the way she is. They both end up leaving to throw mud at warthogs.
• Edgar Rice Burroughs is a fictionalized version of Tarzan's creator, he is an American book author who needed inspiration for his next novel. He eventually finds it when discovering about Tarzan. After meeting some of Tarzan's acquaintances, he finally meets Tarzan when Tarzan saves him. After speaking with Tarzan and Jane, he creates a novel, and his boss says everyone will remember him by it.
• Theodore Roosevelt is the Former President of the United States. Roosevelt appeared in the show based on the Smithsonian–Roosevelt African Expedition, a real-life trip Roosevelt took to Africa after his presidency to collect wildlife for the American Museum of Natural History of New York City.

Episodes

Season 2 (2003)

Broadcast

Critical reception