21 Jump Street Explained

Genre:Police crime drama
Theme Music Composer:Liam Sternberg
Open Theme:"21 Jump Street Theme" performed by Holly Robinson
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:5
Num Episodes:103
List Episodes:List of 21 Jump Street episodes
Location:Vancouver, British Columbia
Camera:Single-camera
Runtime:45–48 minutes
Network:Fox
Network2:Syndication
Related:Booker (1989–90)

21 Jump Street is an American police procedural television drama series that aired on the Fox network and in first-run syndication from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, spanning 103 episodes over five seasons. The series focuses on a squad of youthful-looking undercover police officers investigating crimes in schools, gangs, and other teenage venues.[1] It was originally going to be titled Jump Street Chapel, after the deconsecrated church building in which the unit has its headquarters, but was changed at Fox's request so as not to mislead viewers into thinking it was a religious program.

Created by Patrick Hasburgh and Stephen J. Cannell, the series was produced by Patrick Hasburgh Productions and Stephen J. Cannell Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television. Executive producers included Hasburgh, Cannell, Steve Beers, and Bill Nuss. The show was an early hit for the fledgling Fox network and was created to attract a younger audience.[2] The final season aired in first-run syndication mainly on local Fox affiliates. It was later rerun on the FX cable network from 1996 to 1998.

The series provided a spark to Johnny Depp's acting career, garnering him national recognition as a teen idol. Depp found this status irritating,[3] but he continued on the series under his contract and was paid $45,000 per episode. Eventually, he was released from his contract after the fourth season.[3] [4]

A spin-off series, Booker, was produced for the character of Dennis Booker (Richard Grieco); it ran for only one season, from September 24, 1989, to May 6, 1990.

A film adaptation directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller was released on March 16, 2012. The film is set in the same continuity as the series, with Johnny Depp, Holly Robinson, and Peter DeLuise reprising their characters in cameo appearances. Richard Grieco and Dustin Nguyen also have cameos in the 2014 film sequel 22 Jump Street.

Premise

The series focuses on a group of rookie police officers headquartered at the eponymous address. These young officers all have especially youthful appearances, allowing them to pass for teenagers. Their assignments frequently consist of undercover work in high schools or, less commonly, colleges, where they generally investigate drug trafficking and other criminal activities. The show's plots cover issues such as alcoholism, hate crimes, gang violence, drug abuse, homophobia, AIDS, child abuse, and sexual promiscuity. Similarly, each problem is often solved by the end of the hour-long episode, giving an implicit moral about a particular activity's impact. When the show originally aired, some episodes were followed immediately by public service announcements (PSAs) featuring cast members.

Episodes

See main article: List of ''21 Jump Street'' episodes.

Cast

NamePortrayed bySeasons
12345
Officer Thomas "Tom" Hanson, Jr.Johnny Deppcolspan="1"
Sergeant Judith "Judy" HoffsHolly Robinsoncolspan="5"
Officer Douglas "Doug" PenhallPeter DeLuisecolspan="1"
Sergeant Harry Truman "H.T" Ioki/Vinh Van TranDustin Nguyencolspan="1"
Captain Richard JenkoFrederic Forrestcolspan="4"
Captain Adam FullerSteven Williamscolspan="5"
Officer Joseph "Joey" PenhallMichael DeLuisecolspan="1"
Officer Anthony "Mac" McCannMichael Bendetticolspan="1"
Sal "Blowfish" BanducciSal Jencocolspan="1"
Detective Dennis BookerRichard Griecocolspan="1"
Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Jackie Garrett Yvette Niparcolspan="2"
Officer Dean GarrettDavid Barry Graycolspan="1"
Officer Kati RockyAlexandra Powers

Jeff Yagher was originally cast as Officer Tom Hanson in the pilot. He was replaced after the original pilot episode was filmed, and his scenes were reshot with Johnny Depp. Midway through the first season, Frederic Forrest was replaced by Steven Williams. On the show, Forrest's character Richard Jenko is killed by a drunk driver.

Johnny Depp left the series at the end of the fourth season, but was credited in the first two episodes of the fifth season, despite not having appeared.

David Barry Gray's character was introduced at the end of the fourth season and starred in two episodes of season five with Alexandra Powers. Both episodes were filmed before the fourth season had ended but were not shown until the start of season five. Neither actor was approached in regards to portraying their character in the show's fifth and final season.Michael DeLuise joined the cast in the middle of the fifth season and stayed on until late in the season.

Guest stars

See main article: List of guest stars on ''21 Jump Street''.

Some notable guest stars on the series include:Dom DeLuise, Josh Brolin, Mindy Cohn, Bridget Fonda, Bobby Rodriguez, Jada Pinkett Smith, Brad Pitt, Vince Vaughn, Barney Martin, Dann Florek, Blair Underwood, Shannen Doherty, John Waters, Rosie Perez, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mario Van Peebles, Christina Applegate, Pauly Shore, David DeLuise, Bradley Gregg, Jason Priestley, Christine Elise, Christopher Titus, Kurtwood Smith, Peri Gilpin, Shannon Tweed, Sarah Buxton, David Paymer, Diedrich Bader, Russell Wong, Kelly Hu, Tim Russ, Thomas Haden Church, Sherilyn Fenn, Rob Estes, Ray Walston, R.J. Williams, Robyn Lively, Gloria Reuben, Billy Jayne, Jason Lively, Billy Warlock, Peter Berg, Larenz Tate, and Tracy Griffith.

Production

Filming

Set in a fictional city and state (Metropolis, Evergreen State) in the United States, the series was primarily filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was one of the first major television series to use Vancouver as a filming location and helped to establish the city as a center for film production.[5]

Reception

21 Jump Street, along with Married... with Children and The Tracey Ullman Show, debuted in the spring of 1987. All three shows were hits with audiences and helped to establish the then-newly launched Fox network.[6] 21 Jump Street was the first hit series for the Fox network.[7] In August, 21 Jump Street became the first Fox series to win its timeslot against a Big Three network series.[8] In the United Kingdom, it was shown on the similarly nascent, and interrelated, Sky One, which had yet to reach a sizeable audience.[9]

Broadcast history

Season Timeslot
Sunday at 7:00 P.M.-8:00 P.M. on Fox
1987–88
1988–89
Monday at 8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. on Fox
off-network syndication

Season 4 was the last season to air on the Fox network. In the commentary provided with the Season 5 DVD set, Peter DeLuise said that Fox had decided to cancel the show after Season 4 because the ratings had fallen below a set limit. Following this season, Johnny Depp and Dustin Nguyen left the show. The departure of their characters was never fully explained in the narrative of the TV series, but in the movie it is explained that Officer Hanson was transferred to the DEA and was later joined by Officer Penhall. The Booker spin-off crossover episode, "Wheels and Deals – Part One," is included with 21 Jump Streets syndication package, and is also included on the Season 4 DVD set.

Officer Dean Garrett (David Barry Gray) makes his first appearance in "Everyday is Christmas." As it became more difficult for the original Jump Street cast to pass as high-school students, younger actors were brought in, intended to be "youthful" replacements in order to allow the show to maintain its original premise of young-looking cops posing as high-school students.

Home media

Anchor Bay Entertainment released all five seasons of 21 Jump Street on DVD in Region 1 between 2004 and 2006.

On October 14, 2009, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to several Stephen J. Cannell series, including 21 Jump Street,[10] and subsequently re-released the first four seasons. In addition, Mill Creek also released 21 Jump Street: The Complete Series, an 18-disc collection featuring all 103 episodes of the series on DVD on July 27, 2010.[11]

On July 29, 2022, Visual Entertainment released 21 Jump Street: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[12]

In Region 2, Anchor Bay Entertainment released all 5 seasons on DVD in the UK. They also released a complete series set on March 5, 2012.[13]

In Region 4, Madman Entertainment released all five seasons on DVD in Australia. They also released a complete series collection on May 1, 2013.[14]

In Region 2, Pidax Film released a complete series set box set on September 18, 2020, in Germany with all original music intact. German and English audio tracks.

DVD name Ep # Release dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
The Complete First Season 13 October 26, 2004
January 19, 2010 (re-release)
January 31, 2005 September 7, 2006
The Complete Second Season 22 March 8, 2005
May 18, 2010 (re-release)
June 20, 2005 September 7, 2006
The Complete Third Season 20 September 6, 2005
July 27, 2010 (re-release)
January 23, 2006 September 7, 2006
The Complete Fourth Season 26 November 1, 2005
January 18, 2011 (re-release)
April 10, 2006 September 7, 2006
The Complete Fifth Season 22 March 21, 2006 September 18, 2006 June 7, 2007
The Complete Series 103 July 27, 2010
July 29, 2022 (re-release)
March 5, 2012 & September 18, 2020 May 1, 2013

Film adaptation

See main article: ''21 Jump Street'' (film).

On March 16, 2012, a feature film based on the television series from Sony Pictures was released starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum (who are also executive producers) and directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller with the screenplay written by Michael Bacall from a story by both Hill and Bacall. Johnny Depp, Peter DeLuise, and Holly Robinson briefly reprise their roles as Tom Hanson, Doug Penhall, and Judy Hoffs.

Described in concept by Hill as an "R-rated, insane, Bad Boys-meets-John Hughes-type movie,"[15] the film departs from the dramatic style of the series and instead features a comedic tone. The film and series are also set in the same continuity. A sequel titled 22 Jump Street was released in 2014.

Notes and References

  1. News: Weekend Tv : 'Jump Street' Bows On Fox Network . Rosenberg . Howard . . 11 April 1987 . 30 March 2011.
  2. Book: Mansour, David . From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century . Andrews McMeel Publishing . Kansas City, MO . 2005. 501. 0-7407-5118-2 . 57316726.
  3. Book: Johnny Depp: A Biography . Blitz . Michael . Krasniewicz . Louise . 2008 . Greenwood Press . Westport, Conn. . 978-0-313-34300-1 . 166290770 . 28 . 30 March 2011.
  4. Web site: Jonah Hill To Adapt '21 Jump Street' For The Big Screen: Report . https://web.archive.org/web/20080724021235/http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1587453/story.jhtml . dead . July 24, 2008 . Horowitz . Josh . 14 May 2008 . . 2009-02-25.
  5. Web site: Movie Guide . 6 November 2023 . 30 December 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141230001139/http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Jump+Street+fuelled+stellar+Vancouver+careers/6302204/story.html . bot: unknown .
  6. Book: Hilmes, Michele . Only Connect: A Cultural History of Broadcasting in the United States. 3. 2010. Cengage Learning. 978-0-495-57051-6. 348.
  7. Lapin. Claudia. October 1988. The Message of 21 Jump Street. Orange Coast Magazine. Emmis Communications. 41. 41. 192. 0279-0483.
  8. Book: Mansour, David . From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century. 2005. Andrews McMeel Publishing. 0-740-75118-2. 507.
  9. Advert in The Times, 29 August 1989, page 9
  10. Cannell and Mill Creek Ink New Distribution Deal . . 14 October 2009 . 30 March 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111123091128/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Site-News-Cannell-Mill-Creek-Distro-Deal/12817 . 23 November 2011 .
  11. Web site: 21 Jump Street - Mill Creek to Roll Out Season 3 and The Complete Series on DVD . Lambert . David . 21 May 2010 . . 30 March 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111123092329/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/21-Jump-Street-Seasons-3-and-The-Complete-Series/13793 . 23 November 2011 .
  12. Web site: 21 Jump Street - The Complete Series [DVD] #7047]. Visual Entertainment Inc. 11 February 2024.
  13. Web site: 21 Jump Street - Seasons 1-5 . 5 March 2012 . Amazon.co.uk . 2014-08-24.
  14. Web site: 21 Jump Street: The Complete Series Collection . Ezydvd.com.au . 2013-04-22 . 2014-08-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131112213342/http://www.ezydvd.com.au/DVD/21-jump-street-the-complete-series-collection/dp/6139914 . 2013-11-12 . dead .
  15. Web site: Jonah Hill Talks 21 Jump Street Remake Movie . Coll . Kevin . 28 May 2009 . Fused Film . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120218215831/http://www.fusedfilm.com/2009/05/jonah-hill-talks-21-jump-street-remake-movie/ . 18 February 2012 .