by Jonathan Klotz
| Published
The '90s were a golden age for syndicated fantasy shows. following in wake Hercules: The Legendary JourneysThe audience was a huge success Xena: Warrior PrincessThen a series of similar offers, from The New Adventures of Robin Hood and The Adventures of Sinbad to Jack of hearts It soon followed, with seemingly every international production company deciding to put on their own show. He was missing among his more famous contemporaries Tarzan: Epic Adventuresanother attempt to adapt Edgar Rice Burrough's famous creation for the small screen, was every bit as low-budget and cheesy as you'd expect, but before season two could even enter production, an involuntary bankruptcy put it on hold for good.
Adapted from classic novels
Tarzan: Epic Adventures It starred Joe Lara as the Monkey King for the second time, reprising his role from the made-for-TV movie. Tarzan in Manhattanalthough the two modifications could not be more different. The syndicated series draws heavily from the original novels, including The Sinister, Count Nicholas Rockoff, and the concept of Pellucidar (Burroughs' take on the Hollow Earth myth), but does not include Jane. Instead, Tarzan is joined by his old friend Themba, who seeks to discover what happened to her tribe.
Filming took place in Sun City, the famous resort in South Africa that became a flashpoint during the 1980s. Tarzan: Epic Adventures It seems to take place in the same area of the forest in every episode as it did. The show, produced on a shoestring budget, features terrible dialogue, tacky special effects and a display of cheap-looking costumes, but that's also part of the appeal. To the production team's credit, they seemed to be in on the joke, as no one took it too seriously, and the result was a fun, guilty pleasure that you don't want anyone to know you're enjoying.
Involuntary bankruptcy
Tarzan: Epic Adventures It may have been produced cheaply, but it wasn't cheap enough for Seagull Entertainment, the series' international distributor. Seagull Entertainment was forced into bankruptcy in the summer of 1997, immediately after the series aired its final episode, after failing to pay the debts of 50 employees and numerous creditors, amounting to debts of more than $500,000. Season 2 was already in the planning stages at the time, and Jane was scheduled to be introduced, but due to forces beyond production's control, that never happened.
Thanks to Seagull Entertainment's self-destruct, Tarzan: Epic Adventures She didn't get a second chance. The show's production company, Keller Entertainment Group, was also trying to develop a Conan the Barbarian syndicated series. However, this never made it to television, failing like many of Conan's other attempts before leaving pre-production.
Amazingly, Tarzan: Epic Adventures It is one of the most successful adaptations of the classic character from the 1950s Alexander Skarsgard The Legend of Tarzan And Disney animation Tarzan. Despite being one of the most popular characters during the 1930s and 1950s, Tarzan has been mocked so much in popular culture that he has no appeal to modern audiences, except those who enjoy everything ironic.
Tarzan: Epic Adventures Available to stream on tubes and Roku channel.
