SUNDAY SHOW SPOTLIGHT...21 JUMP STREET

"Say, Jump! Down on Jump Street!...Say, Jump! Down on Jump Street!"

Today's Sunday Show Spotlight is on the (now) classic and popular police/crime drama, 21 Jump Street. Premiering in April 1987, 21 Jump Street was one of the first shows (In fact, it was the third TV series to air) on the recently booted FOX network and became a flagship for Sunday evenings. The show lasted five seasons, four of which were on FOX and the final season in first-run syndication. FOX decided to cancel 21 Jump Street due to the low ratings in its fourth season, and the fifth and final season ran in syndication but with dramatic cast changes. Despite the fluctuating ratings, 21 Jump Street received positive reviews and quickly became a fan favorite show-to-watch due to the depiction of real-life issues affecting high school teenagers during that time.

21 Jump Street was an actual location (an abandoned church) where young, undercover police officers (Hanson, Hoff, Penhall, and Ioki) would work and investigate their cases, under the leadership of Capt. Jenko and later Fuller. Drug trafficking and abuse, teen pregnancy, alcoholism, racism, hate crimes, gun violence, gangs, AIDS, and child abuse and kidnapping were just some of the issues 21 Jump Street tackled during its five-year run. Not only the students of the schools but also the officers themselves faced several demons. Classic examples include Ioki's immigrant experiences, Penhall reliving his mother's suicide, and Hoffs getting raped while on assignment. Most episodes began with a victim in a local area high school, either dying or surviving the incident of the week, and the Jump Street officers joining the school as "students" to investigate.

By the end of the episode, the Jump Street officers have solved the case and stopped whatever illicit activity for the time being, but always aware that the same dangers lurk in a different school and community. 21 Jump Street ended its episodes with a moral-of-the-story tone and the actors even shot several PSAs for the more serious issues. Below is a PSA aired after an episode dealing with cocaine abuse.

What also made 21 Jump Street a successful TV show was the dynamic chemistry between the actors, which filtered into their characters of the show. The original core team of Hanson (Johnny Depp), Hoffs (Holly Robinson Peete), Ioki (Dustin Nguyen), and Penhall (Peter DeLuise) captivated audiences and made viewers want more background stories of their personal lives. Often an episode would hold a special meaning for one of the officers, such as death of a partner or a parent's suicide. Hanson and Penhall would frequently team up as the popular McQuaid brothers, the juvenile alter egos used when assigned to a rough school.

The McQuaid brothers allowed Depp and DeLuise to demonstrate versatility in their acting as well as showcase the chemistry the two actors had on the show. (A chemistry that would be revisited decades later when the '21 Jump Street' movie was released). Hanson and Hoffs also had wonderful chemistry and enjoyed an on-and-off-again flirtation for the run of the show. Though things never materialized further than friendship (due to Depp's intentions to leave the show), the closeness experienced by the two characters fueled much of the sexual tension of the show. The dynamics were even further complicated when Booker (played by Richard Grieco) was introduced to the fold in the third season.

The addition of Booker brought some much needed tension during the third and fourth seasons. Booker's different perspective and no-filter mouth got him into hot water with the other officers on more than one occasion. The animosity between Hanson and Booker became one for the record books as both characters (and the actors as well) had garnered a huge following of fans. The rivalry between the two furthered when Booker and Hoffs became close and were on the verge of becoming an item. With Johnny Depp's role on the show further dwindling due to his burgeoning movie career, producers decided to spin Booker off on his own show. The spin-off, however, only lasted for one season.

When FOX canceled 21 Jump Street, it was picked up for one season in syndication. Original cast members Johnny Depp and Dustin Nguyen, however, would opt to leave and their characters were written out of the show without explanation. New officers were introduced including Joey Penhall (played by Peter DeLuise's real-life brother, Michael). The new blood of the show couldn't fill the space vacated by Depp and all the chemistry, tension, and fun of the show became a thing of the past.

While Johnny Depp became the breakthrough star of the series and transitioned into motion pictures, the rest of the cast enjoyed success in the television landscape once the show ended. Holly Robinson Peete would go on to ABC's TGIF line-up with Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Peter DeLuise (of the DeLuise acting dynasty) would star in SeaQuest DSV and Stargate SG-1, Dustin Nguyen found a niche in syndicated television and co-starred in V.I.P, as well as enjoy a successful career in the Vietnamese film industry, and Richard Grieco became a staple of made-for-TV and Lifetime movies. The series also had many notable guest stars during its run.

While 21 Jump Street has been off the air now for 22 years (ouch...old age pangs), fans have been able to enjoy the series and the Booker spin-off thanks to the TV-on-DVD wave that has been growing. All the episodes of 21 Jump Street are presented in the five sets, however the original music presented in the episodes have pretty much been all replaced. It really is a shame about the music rights issue because television shows define a certain area and as transitional as it was during the late '80s/early '90s, there was certain music that we attached to our childhood, our school days, our playtime, and our era. Of course, we wouldn't be able to enjoy watching these old episodes if we insisted on having the original music so we have to pick our battles and take the wins rather than the losses. These DVD sets of 21 Jump Street are the Anchor Bay versions which are out-of-print now but Mill Creek Entertainment has re-released the show in individual season sets as well as a complete series set, and for a cheaper price. If you want to revisit teen angst, teen drama, peer pressure, big hair, and loud clothes then pick up the DVD.

Finally, I chose 21 Jump Street for the Sunday Show Spotlight because it holds a special memory for me. Sunday was pool day at our neighborhood country club and I would go with my grandfather and spend the entire day with him. The pool would close up at 6pm on Sundays and then we would have to walk about 10 blocks through the neighborhood just to get home. Once inside the house I couldn't tell you who was more tired, him or me, but we would plop down on the couch and switch the TV on before dinner. The new network, FOX, was gearing its advertisements to a young demographic and one of its shows was 21 Jump Street. We would watch it together and though I was still too young to relate to the tone of the show, it's the memory that associates with the TV show. Watching 21 Jump Street wasn't about watching up-and-coming actor Johnny Depp or drug overdoses, it was about the final summer days getting darker earlier and continuing to enjoy the day with my grandfather in front of the tube.

Did you watch 21 Jump Street? Were you a fan? What was your go-to Sunday show? Do you have a memory attached to a certain show? Please comment and share if you like. And remember to Stay Tuned for new episodes!