21 Jump Street is an American police procedural drama television series created by Patrick Hasburgh and Stephen J. Cannell for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, spanning 103 episodes over five seasons; the final season aired in first-run syndication. The series focuses on a squad of youthful-looking undercover police officers investigating crimes in schools, gangs, and other teenage venues. It was originally going to be titled Jump Street Chapel, after the deconsecrated church building in which the unit is headquartered, but was changed at Fox's request so as not to mislead viewers into thinking it was a religious program.
The series was produced by the two creators' production companies; Cannell retains all intellectual property rights of the series. Executive producers included Hasburgh, Cannell, Steve Beers, and Bill Nuss. The show was an early hit for the fledgling Fox network and was created to attract a younger audience. The final season aired in first-run syndication mainly on local Fox affiliates. It was rerun on the FX cable network from 1996 to 1998.
The series provided a spark to Johnny Depp's acting career, gaining him national recognition as a teen idol. Depp found this status irritating, but he continued the series under his contract which paid $45,000 per episode. He was eventually released from his contract after the fourth season.
A spin-off series, Booker, was produced for the character of Dennis Booker (Richard Grieco); it ran for one season, from September 24, 1989, to May 6, 1990. A film adaptation directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller was released on March 16, 2012. The film is set the same as the series, with Johnny Depp, Holly Robinson, and Peter DeLuise reprising their characters in cameo appearances. Richard Grieco and Dustin Nguyen also have cameos in the 2014 film sequel 22 Jump Street.
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