'21 Jumpstreet' only escaped being totally forgotten by television viewers because it's early star, Johnny Depp, would go on to gain such widespread cinematic notoriety. Otherwise, the exaggerated after-school-special styled cop drama would be completely dismissed as incredibly cheesy and ridiculous. Granted, the series, which follows the "Jump Street" program managed by one police captain and four baby-faced detectives who occasionally go undercover at high schools and such to investigate the latest of teenagers gone wild, did bring attention to pressing issues of drug use, teen pregnancy, school violence, racism and other topics that don't even get an ounce of attention in today's television programs geared toward young viewers.
But, it did so in such a way that almost mirrored late 1970s and early 1980s dramas like Class of 1984 which featured completely out-of-control urban teens raising hell much to the confusion and chagrin of various adult authority who just assume wipe them out completely in order to avoid wasting time trying to get them to stop their craziness. It is hard to watch Jumpstreet reruns and take much of any of it seriously. The dialog was bad enough, but the situations themselves are written with such absurdity. In the second season episode, "After School Special," a student shoots a teacher, and Hoffs and the police captain both go undercover to investigate gun dealers at school. We find out that pretty much every student is packing heat and lots of teachers are or soon intend to be as well. As if this weren't stupid enough, the gang seems to take measures lightly considering the amount of arms floating around on campus.
The series became as dated and cheesy as a lot of the other cautionary television shows similar to it (Highway to Heaven is one that comes to mind), and especially at the beginning of the second season. Unfortunately, it was hard to take seriously any of the youth-centered issues it had hoped to address, leaving it only valuable as a source of nostalgia (there were a lot of familiar faces in guest starring roles, and almost as many mullets).
But, it did so in such a way that almost mirrored late 1970s and early 1980s dramas like Class of 1984 which featured completely out-of-control urban teens raising hell much to the confusion and chagrin of various adult authority who just assume wipe them out completely in order to avoid wasting time trying to get them to stop their craziness. It is hard to watch Jumpstreet reruns and take much of any of it seriously. The dialog was bad enough, but the situations themselves are written with such absurdity. In the second season episode, "After School Special," a student shoots a teacher, and Hoffs and the police captain both go undercover to investigate gun dealers at school. We find out that pretty much every student is packing heat and lots of teachers are or soon intend to be as well. As if this weren't stupid enough, the gang seems to take measures lightly considering the amount of arms floating around on campus.
The series became as dated and cheesy as a lot of the other cautionary television shows similar to it (Highway to Heaven is one that comes to mind), and especially at the beginning of the second season. Unfortunately, it was hard to take seriously any of the youth-centered issues it had hoped to address, leaving it only valuable as a source of nostalgia (there were a lot of familiar faces in guest starring roles, and almost as many mullets).