21 Jump Street

Did You Know?

• Some episodes were followed immediately by public service announcements featuring cast members.
• The series was originally going to be titled Jump Street Chapel, after the deconsecrated church building used as headquarters.
• Johnny Depp was paid $45,000 per episode under his contract.

Cast

The role of Officer Tom Hanson originally went to Jeff Yagher, but after the pilot was shot, Johnny Depp took over and all of Yagher's scenes were refilmed. Early in season one, Frederic Forrest was swapped out for Steven Williams; on the show, Forrest's character Richard Jenko dies after being hit by a drunk driver. Depp left the series after season four, though his name still appeared in the credits for the first two episodes of season five even though he wasn't in them. David Barry Gray's character debuted near the end of season four, and he appeared in two season-five episodes alongside Alexandra Powers; both episodes were made before season four wrapped but aired at the start of season five. Neither Gray nor Powers was asked back for the final season. Michael DeLuise joined the cast partway through season five and remained until near its end. Guest stars included Dom DeLuise, Josh Brolin, Bridget Fonda, Brad Pitt, Vince Vaughn, Jada Pinkett, Shannen Doherty, Christina Applegate, Pauly Shore, Jason Priestley, Kurtwood Smith, Kelly Hu, Thomas Haden Church, Sherilyn Fenn, and Ed O'Neill.

Production

Set in the fictional Metropolis, Evergreen State, the series was primarily filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, and was one of the first major television series to use that city as a filming location. 21 Jump Street debuted in spring 1987 alongside Married... with Children and The Tracey Ullman Show, becoming the first hit series for the Fox network. In August of that year, it became the first Fox series to win its timeslot against a Big Three network series. In the United Kingdom, it aired on Sky One.

Broadcast history

Season 4 was the last season on Fox; the network decided to cancel the show after that season because ratings had fallen below a set limit. Johnny Depp and Dustin Nguyen left after season 4, and their characters' departures were never fully explained in the series. The Booker spin-off crossover episode "Wheels and Deals – Part One" is included with 21 Jump Street's syndication package and on the Season 4 DVD set. Officer Dean Garrett first appears in "Everyday is Christmas." As the original cast aged, younger actors were brought in as replacements to maintain the premise of young-looking cops posing as high-school students.

Home media

Anchor Bay Entertainment released all five seasons on DVD in Region 1 between 2004 and 2006. Mill Creek Entertainment acquired rights to several Stephen J. Cannell series, including 21 Jump Street, and re-released the first four seasons, as well as a complete series set of 18 discs on July 27, 2010. Visual Entertainment released a complete series DVD on July 29, 2022, in Region 1. In Region 2, Anchor Bay released all five seasons in the UK and a complete series set on March 5, 2012. Madman Entertainment released all five seasons in Australia, with a complete series collection on May 1, 2013. Pidax Film released a German complete series set on September 18, 2020, with original music intact.