21 Jump Street
1 9 8 7 - 1 9 9 0 (USA/Canada)
34 x
60 minute episodes
 21 Jump Street
was about undercover cops who were assigned to high schools,
colleges and wherever their youthful looks would help them mingle
in.
They had all been trained in undercover police
work and looked young enough to pass for teenagers and "young
adults".
Though it seems incredibly corny in retrospect
(hell, it was corny at the time), the purpose of their work was to
''rehabilitate'' kids on the brink of a criminal career rather
than arresting them later when they had no hope and would be
destined to a life of prison.
The show was allegedly
based on a real-life undercover unit in Los Angeles, California.
Filmed in Canada, Jump Street had a great appeal to teenagers and
delivered "important messages" about avoiding the
criminal lifestyle and being a worthwhile contribution to society.
As pukeworthy as it may sound, the show had a large teen
following, yet one wonders if ''ver kids'' found it as corny as it
seems on second and third viewings?
Legend has it that
Johnny Depp joined the show thinking it would not succeed and
desperately needing the income.
 He signed a six-year contract yet
despised the show and his character (Hanson) and tried a number of
times to get fired. Should''ve come to work with his scissor-hands
on.
A spin-off series called Booker (1989 - 1990) was produced, which saw Dennis Booker
leave the force to become a private
detective.
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