Remembering 21 Jump Street

The television series that made a big impact on me when I was a teenager was 21 Jump Street. I was a high school junior, and one Sunday evening at 7:00 I stumbled upon the show. I remember being immediately drawn into the story. “Officer Hanson” was working undercover as a preppy, rich teen so he could bust preppy, rich teens. I knew I had seen “Hanson” before but could not place him. Half way through the episode I realized the actor was Johnny Depp from the film A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. (It was 1987.) I thought it was great that the good-looking guy ended up on such an intriguing television show.

21 Jump Street always managed to handle serious issues in an appropriate and entertaining manner. The first two seasons of the series provided compelling drama, but viewers were almost always guaranteed a happy ending. I was thrilled when I read an article which discussed how the 21 Jump Street cast wanted to start doing episodes that were not neatly packaged, did not have happy endings, and were open-ended. I trusted the cast was aware that viewers were smart enough to use their own brains to figure out what the stories were trying to say. I personally appreciated this and would like to take this opportunity to thank the cast for speaking up and the producers for complying.

As a result, 21 Jump Street became an issue-oriented program. It was no longer baby-faced cops going undercover at local high schools to investigate drug pushing and abuse. The adult officers started going undercover at universities and dealing with hate and date rape crimes. These were very serious themes, and the 21 Jump Street writers always handled them with care by showing consequences or sometimes the reality that there are unfortunately some individuals who manage to escape immediate consequences. I was one of the smart viewers who appreciated this and believed that some where along life’s winding road, those individuals would be dealt with. I embraced the open-ended storylines because I made up my own conclusions, based on my beliefs and outlook on life.

When a viewer can do this, television is good! This is certainly my opinion, of course, but I am not a lazy viewer. I do not think an unprepared observer could have enjoyed watching 21 Jump Street as much as I did. Having to think may become too laborious for the quick-fix, uninvolved viewer.

Whether one saw 21 Jump Street as simple entertainment, or as ground-breaking television, it is still worthy of applause for tackling such issues as substance abuse, rape, racism, bigotry, and AIDS. It was my favorite television show of its time, and frankly, I cannot think of any other program like it. It is truly a blessing no one has copied the incomparable, original, educational series: 21 Jump Street.