Die Wilden

Die Wilden (German: ‘the wilds’ or ‘the savages’) is a fantasy adventure television series developed and broadcast by KRF. It is based on a reworking of the character of Tarzan, created by American author Edgar Rice Burroughs and follows the main character, Akan, as he fulfils his role as a protector of the jungle and its inhabitants.

Setting
See also: Locations, characters and mythology of Die Wilden.

Die Wilden is set in the fictional Numassa, an African territory which remains the colonial possession of an unnamed Western power. Numassa is mostly covered by a variety of jungle landscapes, including dense forests, grassland plains and rivers, but also contains rugged mountains and urban areas. Most of the action of the series takes place in an area of jungle containing the official residence of Governor Langbourne and the village of the Machewe tribe, although characters frequently discuss and visit other locations.

Although never explicitly mentioned, the series seems to be set in a “timeless” world that has the stylistic and cultural outlook of early-20th century colonial Africa, but has contemporary technology and scientific knowledge.

Characters and plot
See also: Locations, characters and mythology of Die Wilden.

The series follows the exploits of Akan - an archetypal powerful, half-naked jungle hero - as he defends the jungle and its inhabitants. Akan's existence is generally considered to be merely a jungle legend, but a small number of individuals know the truth. One of these is Terence Langbourne, the colonial governor of the Mulande district, who clandestinely enlists Akam's help in dealing with various threats These threats usually take the form of poaching, smuggling, illegal forestry and mining and other such destructive enterprises.

Like many KRF dramas, Die Wilden combines an episodic format, in which singular threats are subdued and perpetrators brought to justice, with an ongoing and much darker story arc that reveals further details about the characters.