21 Jump Street (TV series)

[ClassyCo]

I was watching a biography about Johnny Depp this morning while getting ready for work, and it got me thinking about 21 JUMP STREET, the television series that propelled him to instant celebrity in the late-'80s. The series was one of the earliest successes for the new Fox network, and aired from 1987 to 1991, producing five seasons and 103 episodes.

The premise of the show is basically about a group of youthful police officers that routinely go undercover in high schools and colleges. The show's plots tackled topical issues, such as drug trafficking, sexual abuse, drug abuse, homophobia, hate crimes, sexual promiscuity, AIDS, and alcoholism among others. 21 JUMP STREET was originally called JUMP STREET CHAPEL in pre-production because the primary setting was an abandoned church, but producers changed the title not to confuse audiences that the show was a religious program.

Any fans of this show?
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[AndyB2008]

Just to clear up on something.

Although 21 Jump Street produced 5 seasons, Fox actually cancelled it after 4.

Stephen J Cannell Productions did produce a 5th season, but it was shown in first run syndication rather than attached to a network. Local Fox affiliates did show that season, but as per syndicated programmes, it could be shown by any network affiliated stations.

Should be noted that the 5th season did not feature Johnny Depp nor Dustin Nguyen.

 

[AndyB2008]

21 Jump Street also spawned a spin off too, Booker, where Richard Grieco's Dennis Booker transferred his character onto that show.

Booker was aired as the lead off programme for Fox's primetime on Sundays at 7pm. To make room for Booker, 21 Jump Street was moved to Mondays.

Whereas 21 Jump Street had held it's own against 60 Minutes in the same timeslot, Grieco's show crumbled against it.

Booker underwent a retooling later with Katie Rich replaced by Lori Petty. By this point, Fox had moved Booker to the 10pm slot vacated by The Tracey Ullman Show after that show concluded for good. Booker didn't get a boost there (it was up against films by the other 3 networks) and ended after one season.

 

[ClassyCo]

Just to clear up on something.

Although 21 Jump Street produced 5 seasons, Fox actually cancelled it after 4.

Stephen J Cannell Productions did produce a 5th season, but it was shown in first run syndication rather than attached to a network. Local Fox affiliates did show that season, but as per syndicated programmes, it could be shown by any network affiliated stations.

Should be noted that the 5th season did not feature Johnny Depp nor Dustin Nguyen.

Thank you. I just didn't spill all the beans in my little intro. Fox cancelled the show after Season 4, presumably because Johnny Depp really didn't want to continue with it. That caused the show to move into first-run syndication, where it lasted one season before getting canned.

And honestly I always forget about the spin-off BOOKER. It didn't last very long, did it?​

 

[Crimson]

I don't recall watching more than a couple episodes of the series; cop shows have never been my thing.

I'm surprised to find out Johnny Depp lasted 4 seasons on the show. I thought he had pulled a Farrah and left after the first, to be replaced by Richard Grieco.

 

[AndyB2008]

Thank you. I just didn't spill all the beans in my little intro. Fox cancelled the show after Season 4, presumably because Johnny Depp really didn't want to continue with it. That caused the show to move into first-run syndication, where it lasted one season before getting canned.

And honestly I always forget about the spin-off BOOKER. It didn't last very long, did it?​

According to Peter DeLuise on a DVD commentary for Season 5, Fox cancelled the show after Season 4 because the ratings fell to an unacceptable level for them.

Well the ratings drop was Fox's fault in the first place.

In making room for Booker on Sunday which was a flop, 21 Jump Street had more competition than it did on Mondays that it did on Sundays, where the main competition was primarily 60 Minutes.

21 Jump Street on Monday had to face the established ALF (coming to the end of it's run, a relief for the actors I suppose) as well as the established My Two Dads on NBC, the newcomer Major Dad on CBS and the established MacGyver on ABC. No wonder the ratings were poor.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Richard Grieco had star potential, wasted on a spin-off (which was a bit better than the parent series). Not that I was a big fan.

Today, his plastic surgeries have him looking like Mickey Rourke.

 

[Chris2]

The fifth season was bizarre - clearly done a reduced budget. It started with a couple of leftover episodes from season 4, introducing two new police officers played by Alexandra Powers and David Barry Gray. But then when the made-for-syndication episodes started, Powers and Gray were gone with no explanation, and they were down to three cops: Holly Robinson, Peter Deluise, and Depp clone Michael Benedetti. Then Deluise’s brother Michael showed up a few episodes later. And a few episodes after that, Peter Deluise left. Late in the season, Michael Deluise left too. So at the end it was only Robinson, Faux Depp, and the captain.

 

[Seaviewer]

I remember watching. It was a hot show at the time.

 

[ClassyCo]

I don't recall watching more than a couple episodes of the series; cop shows have never been my thing.

Sometimes I get into a mood where all I want to do is watch cop shows. I really like CHARLIE'S ANGELS and MURDER, SHE WROTE, and my mother and I used to binge LAW & ORDER: SVU practically every week when USA would show its marathons.​

I'm surprised to find out Johnny Depp lasted 4 seasons on the show. I thought he had pulled a Farrah and left after the first, to be replaced by Richard Grieco.

Knowing how Depp dreaded the show, it is surprising that he stayed as long as he did. 21 JUMP STREET was Depp's CHARLIE'S ANGELS, and had not be willing to live up to his five-year-contract, then I supposed he would've bailed sooner than he did.​

 

[ClassyCo]

I think I have the first and third season of 21 JUMP STREET tucked away in a box somewhere. I recall watching a few episodes when I got the first season, but it's been a while since I viewed any of them. My attention was brought back to this show merely out of curiosity to discuss here upon a recent re-watch of Johnny Depp's biography that's on YouTube (a horribly butchered cut of it, by the way).​

 

[tommie]

According to Peter DeLuise on a DVD commentary for Season 5, Fox cancelled the show after Season 4 because the ratings fell to an unacceptable level for them.

Well, sort of. The thing is, Fox cancelled all their dramas from the 1989-90 season due to money troubles along with a lot of other mid-performing shows. 21 Jump Street and Alien Nation actually did "ok" considering they were opening up a new night to program on Monday. Fox however simply couldn't afford to invest in "mid-performers" at that point and more or less did a revamp of the schedule, building on more comedies due to the success of The Simpsons and Married... with Children. The next season they ordered three dramas, only which one survived - Against the Law, DEA and Beverly Hills, 90210. Considering all of them ended up performing worse than 21 Jump Street and Alien Nation (though obviously, 90210 ended up exploding into a pop culture phenomena eventually) they probably could've kept both of them for another season.

Either way, I've been watching episodes here and there on Shout! TV since they added The Bold & The Beautiful to their line up, and I will say that it was an incredibly limited concept for a show and it shows. You can tell they already started branching out beyond high school and even putting more focus on their personal lives as the show went on. I can actually see why they went for a movie instead of a tv series as I find this show pretty unrebootable for anything long-term. It's really a show that barely worked when it aired and wouldn't work now (though the "hello fellow kids" memes would've filled up social media).

 

[Seaviewer]

they already started branching out beyond high school and even putting more focus on their personal lives as the show went on.

I remember watching this at the time. The characters were appealing and I think they could have been developed even further in that way.

 

[bmasters9]

I recently got VEI's all-in-one DVD of it at a thrift store in Greenville, and have finished the pilot; it's gonna take a while for me to get acclimated to the show, given how others Cannell was behind (like Riptide) went down smoother with me.

 

[tommie]

I recently got VEI's all-in-one DVD of it at a thrift store in Greenville, and have finished the pilot; it's gonna take a while for me to get acclimated to the show, given how others Cannell was behind (like Riptide) went down smoother with me.

The first season episodes I saw seemed a lot clunkier than what came down the road imho. As I said above, it's sort of a limited concept and it seems like they realised it themselves, so started focusing on beyond them being put in as high school students.