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 every 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 is gearing up to release a whole slew of his shows in the coming months.

Last week, the 1st season of “21 Jump Street” found its way onto store shelves and I’d be 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 hair do in fact 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. All 13 episodes of the series’ 1st season are available in this set and watching them again really took me back. I had honestly forgotten what a decent series it was.

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.

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 the season causes the team to lose their leader, and he was replaced by Captain Fuller, played by Steven Williams.

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 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.

I do have to mention Peter DeLuise, if for no other reason than he has become a big part of my current favorite series, “Stargate SG-7.” 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. Now that we’re in the 7th season, we’ve noticed he has moved up into the producer’s chair.

This 1st season DVD release also offers up a couple of extra features. The mains ones come in the form of interviews, four of them to be exact. All are newly produced and allow Cannell, Peete, Nguyen and Williams the opportunity to reflect on the series. The only other feature is a commentary on the episode “Gotta Finish the Riff” by DeLuise. This is an especially strong episode as it deals with the transition of the team’s leaders, and the commentary is quite welcome. I would have enjoyed a separate interview with DeLuise as well, but the commentary does make up for it.

I find it interesting that Depp did not appear anywhere in any of the extra features. I would love to know if it was a scheduling problem, or simply his need to distance himself from the series that launched his career.

The 4-disc set is very efficiently packaged, so much so I initially though it was only two discs. The main slipcover houses two super slim cases, but each case holds two discs. It takes up very little shelf space, which is very nice for DVD collectors. There is also a booklet enclosed that offers up a brief history of the series, as well as a breakdown of each actors and characters.

Episodes:
Pilot, Parts 1&2
America, What a Town
Don’t Pet the Teacher
My Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades
The Worst Night of Your Life
Gotta Finish the Riff
Bad Influence
Blindsided
Next Generation
Low and Away
16 Blown to 35
Mean Streets and Pastel House

Starring: Johnny Depp, Holly Robinson Peete, Peter Deluise, Dustin Nguyen, Frederic Forrest, Steven Williams
Extras: New Interviews with Stephen J. Cannell, Holly Robinson Peete, Dustin Nguyen, Steven Williams, Audio Commentary by Peter Deluise, 8-Page Booklet with Liner Notes and Color Photos
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
Release Date: 10/26/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give 21 Jump Street: Season 1 a B-.