39 Years Ago, an Iconic ’80s Series Premiered With a Perfect Concept (Plus an Amazing Sequel Decades Later)

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The 1980s saw a golden age of television, with shows becoming more ambitious and high-quality. Networks began investing more in TV programming than ever before, leading to a wider variety of shows – including this memorable series, which first aired 39 years ago today in 1987.

Although the original show concluded, its story didn’t really end there. It remained popular for years, eventually leading to two sequel movies being released decades later, which demonstrates how enduring the franchise has been. While many people might remember the movies more clearly today, now is a great time to revisit the original series and appreciate its lasting impact.

21 Jump Street Premiered 39 Years Ago Today

Okay, so looking back, the very first episode of 21 Jump Street actually aired 39 years ago today – April 12th, 1987! It came from the minds of Patrick Hasburgh and Stephen J. Cannell, a duo you might remember from shows like The Greatest American Hero and The A-Team. What was so clever about 21 Jump Street was how it brilliantly blended the teen high school drama that was so popular at the time with the excitement of a police procedural. It really hit that sweet spot, and the premise was just perfect.

Set in Los Angeles, the series follows the LAPD’s innovative approach to tackling youth drug use. They dispatch young-looking officers, posing as students, to infiltrate local high schools. Operating from a former church that serves as their base, this undercover squad aims to disrupt the drug trade and protect the city’s teenagers from both drug use and those who supply it.

The show 21 Jump Street lasted for five seasons and included a total of 103 episodes. The series finale aired on April 27, 1991, marking the end of the popular show. 21 Jump Street was a big success when it first came out, and it played a key role in establishing Fox as a major television network.

The TV show 21 Jump Street is remembered for giving a young Johnny Depp a major career boost. The series made him a teen idol and allowed him to transition successfully from television to movies. While he’d been in films like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Platoon before, 21 Jump Street’s popularity paved the way for his breakthrough role in Edward Scissorhands and launched his successful film career.

Interestingly, 21 Jump Street was filmed mostly in Vancouver, British Columbia. This was unusual for the time, as it was one of the first big productions to prominently feature the city as a filming location. This helped put Vancouver on the map as a major center for film and television, and the city continues to benefit from that legacy today.

The 21 & 22 Jump Street Movies Revived The Franchise (& They Were Canon To The Show)

Despite wrapping up in 1991, 21 Jump Street returned to screens more than twenty years later in 2012. The revival was directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller and starred Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as the latest recruits to the Jump Street team. The movie playfully poked fun at the trend of turning old TV shows into underwhelming sequels, something that was happening a lot with films like Dark Shadows and CHiPs at the time.

The movie 21 Jump Street was a big success, earning over $201 million despite costing just $54.7 million to make. It currently has an 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is now considered one of the best comedies of the 2010s. The film also played a key role in establishing Channing Tatum as a comedic actor, leading him to focus primarily on comedy roles after its release.

A really cool thing about the movie 21 Jump Street is that it connects to the original TV show’s storyline. Near the end, Johnny Depp and Peter DeLuise make an appearance as their old characters, Tom Hanson and Doug Penhall. They’ve become DEA agents and are working undercover on the same case as Schmidt and Jenko. Unfortunately, both Hanson and Penhall are shot during the investigation, seemingly ending their time with 21 Jump Street.

Following the success of the 2012 film, 22 Jump Street was released in 2014, continuing the popular series with another great installment. Directors Lord and Miller once again teamed up with stars Hill and Tatum, sending the undercover duo to a college campus. Although plans for a 23 Jump Street film and even a crossover with 21 Jump Street and Men in Black were discussed, the series hasn’t had a new movie since the 2014 sequel.

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2026-04-12 17:11