"21 Jump Street" (1987) TV series 1987-1991

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Creators:

Stephen J. Cannell
Patrick Hasburgh

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

12 April 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

Too cool for school.

Plot:

The cases of an undercover police unit composed of young looking officers specializing in youth crime.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Undercover | Address As Title | Detective | Teen

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Steven Williams	...	Captain Adam Fuller / ... (92 episodes, 1987-1991)
Holly Robinson Peete	...	Officer Judy Hoffs (88 episodes, 1987-1991)
Peter DeLuise	...	Officer Doug Penhall (84 episodes, 1987-1990)
Dustin Nguyen	...	Officer Harry Truman Ioki (71 episodes, 1987-1990)
Johnny Depp	...	Officer Tom Hanson (69 episodes, 1987-1990)

Runtime:

60 min (103 episodes) | Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:12 | UK:12 (some episodes) | UK:15 (some episodes) | UK:PG (some episodes) | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

New Westminster Secondary School, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

Johnny Depp did not want to work on a television series but agreed to a six-year contract only because he did not believe the show would last more than one season. He also found it difficult to turn down the money and the chance to work with Frederic Forrest. But the show became a huge success mostly due to Depp's presence. By the third season, Depp was chafing at having to stay with the show instead of accepting various film offers. He began to complain about the scripts and often gave listless performances. With the help of his lawyers, Depp was released from his contract and left the show after the fourth season.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Throughout the first season Hansen repeatedly says "tail" when his mouth obviously says "ass." This was a post-production change in response to network censorship, who thought the word "ass" was inappropriate.

Quotes:

Off. Doug Penhall: They're gonna have fireworks, free hot dogs. Even Sprinkles the clown!
Off. Tom Hanson #2: Sprinkles? Really?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Entourage: Dominated (#3.3)" (2006)

Jump for Jump Street

This was Fox's first serious drama. It was aimed at a young audience. 21 Jump Street had a great cast including a young Johnny Depp, Peter DeLuise, and Holly Robinson among the cast members, good writing, and innovative plot about young cops posing as high school students to capture a wide variety of criminals in the school system. The show lasted a few seasons on Fox without network infiltration like other major networks. It lasted long enough to leave its mark on the baby network. Now there are a dozen shows like 21 Jump Street without the cleverness and the strive to be better than just the average shows on TV. In fact, the show was probably the first American drama on Fox to be filmed on location in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to cut costs. In the beginning of the Fox network lineup, 21 Jump Street launched a unique way of looking at secondary schools with a great cast. It was never awarded an Emmy which it should have been even nominated for Best Drama.