Him Tarzan, Her Jane -- and It’s Love

In his 1755 “Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Among Men,” French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau stated, “Man in his natural state was born essentially good and free of all prejudices.”

In a summer when Bravo’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” has attempted to tweeze, wax, massage, redecorate and re-dress man in his natural state in the hopes of making something more civilized out of him, Rousseau’s “noble savage” seems in danger of being replaced by the urbane metrosexual.

Just in the nick of time, in swings the WB’s “Tarzan,” hoping to earn big ratings by unleashing the most natural of men on that most urban of environments, New York.

To this end, this updated version of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1912 pulp classic has enlisted chiseled 24-year-old Australian farm boy Travis Fimmel, who apparently walked out of Oz, all azure eyes and cornsilk hair, right onto Calvin Klein billboards a few years ago. It’s a fairy tale out of Central Casting, right down to Fimmel showing up to audition for “Tarzan” barefoot.

Lest you laugh, Fimmel says it’s all true. “First audition, I was allowed to wear bare feet. I’d been searching for a role where I could wear bare feet.”

Premiering tonight, “Tarzan” turns John Clayton into the scion of a rich and powerful Gotham family, lost with his parents at age 6 in the jungles of Africa. Armed with satellite imagery, his uncle, Richard Clayton (Mitch Pileggi, “The X-Files”), finds the downed plane only to have one of his men shoot a member of Tarzan’s ape family -- and Tarzan himself.

Richard then brings his nephew home with the aim of civilizing him, but the barefoot boy -- who favors going shirtless, or wearing a fashionably tattered, thrift-shop look -- eludes his captors and heads out onto the streets of Manhattan.

There he meets New York police Det. Jane Porter (Sarah Wayne Callies), who is weighed down by the demands of civilization: tough job, demanding boss and a handsome cop boyfriend (Johnny Messner) who wants to commit.

Tarzan shows up to save the day, and before long, boyfriend notwithstanding, Jane can’t resist his smoldering glances and occasional bursts of speech -- not to mention the mystery posed by the controlling and enigmatic Richard.

“I think this show is about a long, drawn-out, tortured, anguished love story,” says co-executive producer Eric Kripke, who wrote the pilot. “On the one hand, Tarzan’s beautiful; he’s ethereal; he’s profound; he’s innocent; he’s Rousseau’s noble savage. Where Jane was ordered, he’s wild. Where she was in control, he’s totally impulsive. Where she was a little more down-to-earth, he’s totally romantic and passionate.”

Fimmel agrees. “I see him as a guy who hasn’t been corrupted by human surroundings and society. He’s just so pure and has to rely on his primary instincts. I think he’s childish as well. It’s not a weakness, but he’s helping people that can’t help themselves.”

“On the other hand,” Kripke continues, “he’s predatory. It’s the savage part of the noble savage. He acts inappropriately. He doesn’t understand the civilization in which he lives. He’s violent; he’s uncontrollable. What kind of future are you really going to have with this guy? Are you going to take him home to your mother? Are you going to raise kids, drop them off at day care?”

The second part of the pilot introduces Richard’s equally powerful sister Katherine, played by “Xena: Warrior Princess” star Lucy Lawless, and the struggle moves from an internal one for Tarzan and Jane to an external one for control of the Clayton fortune and business, Grey-stoke Industries.

“Richard’s point of view makes sense,” Kripke says, “because you’re letting this guy run around wild. You’re letting him risk life and limb, week after week, and he’s a very valuable person. He’s the heir to this family dynasty. He needs to be protected, and he needs to be civilized.

“What Richard doesn’t know -- and what his tragic flaw is -- is that changing Tarzan, civilizing Tarzan, kills everything that’s unique and special about the kid. [Katherine] sees what’s special and unique -- it’s a maternal energy vs. paternal. [Katherine] sees that Tarzan is special in his own right.”

At the center is Fimmel, who may appear to embody Tarzan’s dilemma, but appearances can be deceiving. He’s a farm boy, but one who has lived in Melbourne and London (above a bar, he says), backpacked around Europe and knows his way through the pubs of several cities, including Los Angeles.

While he may be no babe in arms, there is a sweetness about Fimmel, who seems to have that rare gift of being easy in his own skin. “I’m comfortable in any situation. I don’t have fears about a lot of things. It’s not a survival thing, but on a farm, you always look after yourself. You’re very independent, but you’re still very family-oriented.”

The family includes two brothers, an electrical engineer and a project manager, who don’t let Travis forget he was an underwear model.

“I get it all in first,” Fimmel says. “I’ve said it all. They’re like, ‘Yeah, we agree.’ But it’s such a good feeling to send money home to your parents. I’ve no regrets. ‘Here you go, buy yourself 500 cows.’ ”

While the winters of New York (or Toronto, where the show is filmed) may force Tarzan eventually into shirts and shoes -- if not a down parka -- Kripke insists there are no spa treatments in the jungle boy’s future.

“Tarzan” airs at 9 p.m. Sunday on the WB. The network has rated it TVPG-V (may be unsuitable for young children, with an advisory for violence).

Kate O’Hare writes for Tribune Media Services.