21 Jump Street (originally titled "Jump Street Chapel") was an hour long police drama television series, developed by Fox Television Network. It ran from April 12, 1987 to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes.
It was produced by the studio of Stephen J. Cannell Productions (which also produced The A-Team and The Rockford Files). The show was an early hit for the fledgling Fox Network, especially in the important teen demographic. Some speculate that it was Johnny Depp's exit that caused the program to be cancelled by Fox after the fourth season though Peter DeLuise in his DVD commentary said that Barry Diller of Fox Network saw that The Simpsons were getting a twenty share rating and said that Fox was now a twenty share rating network so 21 Jump Street was dropped. The final season aired in first-run syndication on local Fox affiliates. It was later completed in rerun syndication on Fox's FX cable network from 1996 to 1998 and was produced in association with and distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Television.
The series provided a spark to Johnny Depp's nascent career in acting, garnering him national recognition as a teen idol. Depp found this status an irritant, but he was under contract from which he was released after the fourth season.
Actors who guest-starred on the program include Bridget Fonda, Sherilyn Fenn, Jason Priestley, Josh Brolin, Maia Brewton, Mindy Cohn, David Paymer, Brad Pitt, Christina Applegate, Eric West, Vince Vaughn, Pauly Shore, Blair Underwood, John Waters, Shannen Doherty, Rosie Perez, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Russ, and Thomas Haden Church.
A spin-off called Booker was produced for the character of Dennis Booker (Richard Grieco), but it ran only one season from September 1989 to June 1990.
21 Jump Street is the headquarters for a squad of police officers who specialize in investigations relating to young people. Each of the Jump St. personnel was selected for their ability to pass for high school or college students, allowing them to operate undercover in areas where it is difficult for regular police officers to blend in unnoticed. Written by Marg Baskin
