Season 1
8 episodes Jan 5, 2017 8.0
Saved from a plane crash and given supernatural powers, teen Tarzan fights to protect his jungle home, with help from his brave city pal Jane.
Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and Jane
2017–2018
Ended • 2 Seasons • 13 Episodes
Director: Jesse Lickman
Overview
Saved from a plane crash and given supernatural powers, teen Tarzan joins forces with brave city girl Jane to protect his jungle home from threats.
Seasons
2 listed- Status
- Ended
- Seasons
- 2 seasons
- Episodes
- 13 episodes
- First aired
- Jan 5, 2017
- Last aired
- Oct 12, 2018
- Episode length
- 22m
- Network
- Netflix
Latest episode: S2 E5 Return of the King (Oct 12, 2018)
Season 2
5 episodes Oct 12, 2018 8.0Tarzan and Jane embark on a heroic adventure in the Brazilian rainforest, rescuing animals from an evil scheme and uncovering an ancient secret.
Reviews
5 min readJungle Myth in Saturday-Morning Clothing
I kept waiting for Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and Jane to feel small, and it never quite does. That’s interesting, because on paper this is a modest piece of animation: two seasons, thirteen episodes, a teenage Tarzan with supernatural powers, a brave city girl, jungle threats, and the familiar machinery of adventure serialized for younger viewers. latestnetflix.com's read is that but the show is really working with something older and stranger than its premise suggests.
Tarzan is one of those durable myths that keeps getting rewritten because it can absorb almost any era’s anxieties — colonial fantasy, wilderness romance, adolescent self-invention, ecological dread — without ever losing its basic shape. Jesse Lickman’s version doesn’t pretend to escape that history. It runs straight into it, then sands down the sharpest edges and asks younger viewers to come along for the ride.
That smoothing-out matters. What I found most revealing here isn’t the action, which is functional and often lively, but the show’s tone: alert, clean, eager to keep moral lines legible. In a way, that’s the point.
This is Tarzan as a contemporary children’s adventure, where the jungle is less a site of imperial fantasy than a place of community under pressure. The old Burroughs material has always been tangled up with ideas of the “civilized” outsider and the “natural” hero, and this series leans into the emotional version of that conflict rather than the historical one. Jane doesn’t enter the jungle to be rescued; she’s there to do the rescuing, or at least to share the burden.
That shift gives the series its most welcome bit of modernity, even if the scripts don’t always know what to do with it.
Visually, the show tends toward bright, uncluttered compositions. The animation favors readability over density, which is both a limitation and a virtue. In action sequences, characters move through layered greens and wide tree trunks that give the jungle a storybook clarity; nothing is allowed to become too muddy, emotionally or literally.
I’m not saying that in a pejorative way. There’s a craft to making a world feel traversable, especially in animation aimed at kids, and the series understands that a child needs to know where everyone is at all times. The downside is that danger can feel prepackaged.
Audience Opinions
Limited evidence
"A modern animated update that refashions the jungle legend into a supernatural teen team-up geared toward younger adventure fans."
latestnetflix.com's read is that Reimagining classic pulp lore for children, the animated series follows a teenage Tarzan who survives a plane crash, acquires supernatural gifts, and pairs up with city girl Jane to defend the rainforest against mounting dangers, while <a href=" notes that the dynamic primarily aims to deliver accessible, family-oriented eco-heroics.
What viewers praise
- Supernatural spin on a classic hero Gives teenage Tarzan heightened abilities alongside a capable Jane, offering a fast-paced dynamic for youth animation fans.
- Family-friendly action focus Builds an approachable environment suitable for younger audiences looking for environmental and rescue adventures.
Common complaints
- Departure from original pulp roots Viewers who prefer traditional interpretations may be put off by the superhero abilities and teenage premise.
Recommended for
Kids and families looking for light animated action Viewers interested in modern revisions of classic adventure characters
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsNetflix’s Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan and Jane (2017): A Modern Jungle Reboot with Mixed Production Roots
Netflix’s 2017 animated series Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan and Jane brought the classic jungle hero into the digital age, but its production journey was as tangled as the vines of Tarzan’s African home. The show, a computer-animated reimagining of Burroughs’ 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, streamed exclusively on Netflix, blending environmental themes with teen-friendly mystery and crime-solving. latestnetflix.com's view is that Yet behind the scenes, the series’ international production pipeline and abrupt two-season run left fans with more questions than answers.
A Transatlantic Animation Effort
The series was a joint venture between American and Canadian studios, reflecting the globalized nature of modern animation. Produced by Arad Animation (a U.S.-based studio) and 41 Entertainment, the show was animated by Arc Productions, a Toronto-based studio known for its work on high-profile animated projects 
. This cross-border collaboration likely helped streamline production costs, but it also meant the series had to navigate the logistical challenges of coordinating teams across time zones.
Arc Productions, however, faced financial turbulence during the show’s run. In August 2016, just months before Tarzan and Jane’s January 2017 debut, the studio filed for bankruptcy protection after a failed expansion into feature films [unconfirmed, but widely reported in animation industry outlets at the time]. While the series’ first season premiered as scheduled, the financial instability of its primary animation partner may have contributed to the show’s relatively short lifespan—only two seasons were produced before it quietly ended in October 2018 .
A Teen-Focused Reboot with Environmental Themes
Unlike traditional Tarzan adaptations, which often lean into adventure and romance, Netflix’s version took a modern, YA-friendly approach. The series reimagined Tarzan as a 16-year-old navigating a London boarding school, where he teamed up with Jane to tackle environmental injustice, crimes, and mysteries . This shift from the jungle to an urban setting was a bold departure from Burroughs’ original vision, but it aligned with Netflix’s strategy of targeting younger audiences with socially conscious storytelling.
The show’s computer-animated style also set it apart from earlier hand-drawn or live-action adaptations. While the animation quality was serviceable, some fans criticized it as less polished than other Netflix originals of the era, possibly due to budget constraints or the aforementioned production challenges [unconfirmed, based on fan discussions].
A Short-Lived Jungle Run
Despite its ambitious premise, Tarzan and Jane never gained the same cultural traction as other Netflix animated series like The Dragon Prince or Hilda. The first season premiered on January 6, 2017, with the second—and final—season dropping on October 12, 2018 . There was no official cancellation announcement, leaving fans to speculate whether the show was axed due to low viewership, production costs, or the fallout from Arc Productions’ financial troubles.
One lingering mystery is the lack of a third season or revival. Given Netflix’s tendency to cancel underperforming shows abruptly, it’s possible the series simply didn’t attract enough subscribers to justify its budget. However, without official statements from Netflix or the producers, the exact reasons remain unclear.
Legacy: A Forgotten Experiment?
Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan and Jane may not have left a lasting mark on the franchise, but it remains a curious footnote in the history of Tarzan adaptations. Its modernized setting, teen-focused storytelling, and international production reflected the changing landscape of animation in the streaming era. Yet its short run and lack of fanfare suggest it was an experiment that didn’t quite stick.
For now, the series lingers in Netflix’s back catalog, a brief detour from the jungle adventures that defined Tarzan for over a century.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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