General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20265 min read

Jane (2023 TV series)

Jane is a live-action/CGI children's television series that premiered on Apple TV+ on April 14, 2023, following a nine-year-old environmentalist named Jane Garcia who uses her imagination to help protect endangered animals. It was created by J.J. Johnson of Sinking Ship Entertainment in collaboration with the Jane Goodall Institute, and it is inspired by the work of the conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall.¹

Key fact	Detail
Premiere	Global debut Friday, April 14, 2023, on Apple TV+, as a 10-episode first season¹
Premise	Jane Garcia, a 9-year-old budding environmentalist, takes her best friend David and Greybeard the chimpanzee on imagined adventures to protect wild animals¹
Lead cast	Ava Louise Murchison as Jane, Mason Blomberg as David, with Tamara Almeida, Dan Abramovici, Jazz Allen, and Sam Marra¹
Format	Live-action blended with CGI; episodes run about 25 minutes and are rated TV-G¹^•²
Later seasons	Season 2 (5 episodes) premiered April 19, 2024; season 3 premiered April 18, 2025³
Recognition	2023 Venice TV Award for Best Children/Youth Series; Children's & Family Emmy Award wins and nominations; Imagen Award for Best Young Actor (Television) for Ava Louise Murchison⁴

Spoilers

Premise and format

Each episode centers on a mission to protect an endangered animal. Jane, her best friend David, and Greybeard the chimpanzee embark on imaginative adventures that move between fantasy sequences and real-world settings, where Jane works to persuade her family, neighbors, and community to change their behavior.¹^•⁵ The series is a hybrid of live action and computer-generated imagery, produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment, a Toronto-based company.¹^•⁵

Episodes are titled with the Latin scientific names of the animals they feature. The first season opens with "Ursus maritimus" (polar bear) and "Carcharodon carcharias" (great white shark), and other episodes include "Apis mellifera" (the western honey bee), in which Jane investigates why bee colonies are collapsing while trying to convince a bullying classmate of the importance of bees.⁶^•⁵ Each episode closes with Jane video-calling an activist who in real life works to protect endangered creatures, and from this call she receives concrete actions that both she and viewers can put into practice.⁵

The series takes its guiding message from Dr. Jane Goodall's words quoted in Apple's announcement: "Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, can they be saved."¹ The Prix Jeunesse catalogue describes the show as inspired by Goodall's belief that "every individual makes a difference," and as aiming to empower children toward environmental action.⁵

Production

J.J. Johnson, an Emmy Award winner previously known for "Dino Dana," "Endlings," and "Ghostwriter," created the series and executive produced it alongside Christin Simms, Blair Powers, Matt Bishop, and the Jane Goodall Institute's Andria Teather.¹ "Jane" was the second Apple Original series produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment, after the Daytime Emmy Award-winning "Ghostwriter."¹ Production was based in Toronto, with a Costa Rica unit also credited on the series.⁷^•⁸ Dr. Jane Goodall endorsed the project at launch, saying the program "spreads a message of hope" and reminds children that the environment is something everyone must be concerned about.¹

Cast

Ava Louise Murchison, previously seen in "Reacher," stars as Jane Garcia. Mason Blomberg ("Shameless") plays David. The supporting cast includes Tamara Almeida as Maria, Dan Abramovici as Lucas, newcomer Jazz Allen as Millie, and Sam Marra as Kevin; guest and recurring actors include Mary-Louise Parker as Robin and Brian George as Mr. Siddartha.¹^•⁹

Release and reception

Season 1 premiered in full on April 14, 2023. Season 2, a five-episode run, premiered globally on April 19, 2024, and season 3 premiered on April 18, 2025.³ The series ran for three seasons and 20 episodes in total.⁶

Critics responded favorably to the first season. The A.V. Club's David Cote gave it a B+, calling it a playful mixture of effects-heavy fantasy and wildlife trivia that makes science an adventure and conservation a superpower, and judging its production values and visual ambition an evolutionary leap beyond earlier children's science programming.¹⁰ Common Sense Media rated it 5/5 and recommended it for ages 8 and up, noting its educational value around animals and environmental preservation, its pro-environmental themes, and occasional scary moments from imaginary predators such as sharks and polar bears.¹¹

Awards

The series won the 2023 Venice TV Award for Best Children/Youth Series.⁴ At the Children's & Family Emmy Awards it received one win and nine nominations, including a nomination for Outstanding Children's or Family Viewing Series for its first season.⁴^•¹² Ava Louise Murchison won the 2023 Imagen Award for Best Young Actor (Television) and was nominated again in 2024 and 2025.⁴ The Directors Guild of Canada recognized the episode "Ursus Maritimus" in 2024 with awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Family Series and Best Editing in a Live Action Family Series or MOW.⁴ The series also received GLAAD Media Award nominations for Outstanding Kids & Family Programming in 2024, 2025, and 2026, and a 2023 Television Critics Association Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Family Programming.⁴ Apple reported in January 2024 that "Jane" had won an Environmental Media Association Award.³

References

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026