When you think of nighttime soap operas, you think of Aaron Spelling. Mention disaster movies and most of us will come up with the name Irwin Allen. For cop shows, there is a toss-up. Either the name Steven Bochco will come to mind, or more than likely it will be Stephen J. Cannell. As one of the most prolific writer/producer/directors in cop show history, Cannell has been one of the most innovative in his field. I grew up watching most of the shows he was involved with, including “Toma”, “Rockford Files”, and “Baretta.” Occasionally he even strayed off the beaten path and gave us shows like “Baa Baa Black Sheep”, “The A-Team”, and “Greatest American Hero.” In the 80’s, he gave us shows like “21 Jump Street”, “Hardcastle and McCormick” and “Wiseguy.” He just kept chugging into the 90’s with “The Commish” and “Silk Stalkings.” Now, I can’t claim to have watched ever show he had a hand in, but I’d say I’m at least familiar with most.

Fortunately for those of us who enjoy his work, you can already find several seasons of “Wiseguy” out there on DVD. But even better, Anchor Bay has been releasing many of these shows on DVD over the last year or so.

Back in 2004, the 1st season of “21 Jump Street” found its way onto store shelves and I’m willing to bet they didn’t stay there long. Aside from the insane popularity of the series during its five season run (1987 – 1992), its share of breakout stars has kept it in the edges of the spotlight. One in particular certainly guarantees the sets will sell out. (More on that later.)

Being a fan of most of the shows by Cannell, I of course watched “21 Jump Street” back when it first aired. Yes, it was like, totally 80’s. Watching it now, the clothes and the hairdo definitely date it a little bit. But thanks to the talented cast and the fact that Cannell wasn’t willing to shy away from taboo subjects, “21 Jump Street” still makes for a good watch, even today. Since that initial DVD release, Anchor Bay has followed through with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th seasons last year and now the they're delivering the 5th and final season.

As for the show’s stars, right off the bat I have to mention Johnny Depp. When Depp hit the entertainment scene in “21 Jump Street”, most people, myself included, dismissed him as just another ‘pretty boy’, who was destined to be a has-been. Little did we know how badly he wanted to shed that image and prove himself as an actor. Once he left the show, he started accepting parts like the title characters in “Edward Scissorhands”, “Benny and Joon” as well as the delusional Don Juan in “Don Juan DeMarco,” Depp started distinguishing himself as a strong character actor. Over his illustrious career, he has continued to use his chameleon-like abilities to literally ‘become’ the characters he portrays. Just look at his approach to playing Hunter Thompson in Terry Gilliam’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” It is as left field as I’ve ever seen him, a veritable a tour-de-force of maniacal tics, leering stares, and drugged-out insanity. I can keep going by mentioning newer films like “Pirates of the Carribean”, but I think you get the picture. Of course, Depp did not make it through the entire run of the series and the first episode of the 5th season turned out to be his last.

The rest of the cast was made up of Holly Robinson Peete (who also sang the show’s theme song), Peter DeLuise, and Dustin Nguyen. All were young looking actors, or in this case cops, whose job it was to go undercover in high schools and sniff out crime. For the first few episodes, they were under the supervision of Captain Jenko, who was played as a hard nosed cop by the great Frederic Forrest. A shocking turn of events early in that 1st season caused the team to lose their leader, and he was replaced by Captain Fuller, played by Steven Williams. In the 5th season, due to the loss of Depp and Nguyen, the producers added actors Michael Bendetti and Michael DeLuise (Peter's brother).

Of those cast members, I’d have to say the most recognizable (at least to genre fans) would have to be Williams. He has had a long a varied career, but his biggest role to date came during the middle seasons of “The X-Files”, where he portrayed Mulder’s mysterious informant, X. Oddly enough, if you go back and watch all of the first season episodes, you’ll also catch a glimpse of William B. Davis, better known as “The Smoking Man” from the same series.

Actor Richard Grieco was added in the 3rd season as Officer Dennis Booker. He was intended to be the new heartthrob, and to some extent he filled the bill. His character was so popular that he left the series at the end if this same season to pursue a spin-off series. It was short-lived and didn’t last out the season. Since that time, Grieco has been cast in tons of movies, pretty much all of them either B-movies or late night cable fare.

I do have to bring up Peter DeLuise again, if for no other reason than he has became a big part of one of my favorite series, “Stargate SG-1.” During the 2nd season of the series, DeLuise (son of Dom DeLuise) came on board to direct a couple of episodes. Over the 3rd and 4th seasons, he moved up to being a creative consultant on the show and has gotten the opportunity to write and direct more and more episodes each season. I don’t want to sell short the work of some of the other writers and directors, but every time we see DeLuise’s name in the credits, we know we are in for an especially good episode. In the 8th season, he moved up into the producer’s chair.

The 1st season DVD release offered up a couple of extra features, but the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th sets had no extra features at all. This time around, we have commentaries on two of the episodes by Peter DeLuise (which are worthwhile to listen to), but that's about it. What? No Johnny Depp… again???

The 5th season was a huge hit and miss proposition in terms of good and bad episodes, much like the 4th. The chemistry between the characters seemed to be missing something without Depp and Nguyen. The newer cast members did an admirable job, but those were very big shoes to fill. Still, even though the quality continued its downward spiral, there were enough decent episodes to make the final season worth a watch. I am sorry though that the show, which started off so strong, couldn't have ended on a higher note.

Episodes:
Blackout
Tunnel of Love
Back to School
Buddy System
Poison
Just Say No! High
Brothers
This Ain't No Summer Camp
The Girl Next Door
Diplomas for Sale
Number One with a Bullet (Commentary by Peter DeLuise)
Equal Protection
The Education of Terry Garver
Baby Blues
Film at Eleven (Commentary by Peter DeLuise)
In the Name of Love
Coppin' Out / Cop Love?
Under the Influence
Crossfire
Wasted
Bad Day at Blackburn
Homegirls
Second Chances

Starring: Johnny Depp, Holly Robinson Peete, Peter Deluise, Dustin Nguyen, Steven Williams
Extras: Auddio Commentaries on Select Episodes by Actor Peter DeLuise
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital Stereo
Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
Release Date:
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
Website

We'll give 21 Jump Street: Season 5 a B-.