Reviewing Movies

By the time Season Five of 21 Jump Street rolled out in 1990 I was no longer watching it. After all these years I don’t remember why but there was probably something else programmed at the same time in those years before VCR’s became generally in use. By season five it would appear that Johnny Depp’s contract had run out and he was too hot a commodity to remain on the small screen so he made the jump to movies opening in Edward Scissorhands that year. Dustin Nguyen left as well. In the first two episodes of season 5 David Barry Gray appears as Garrett but doesn’t remain long enough to rate as anything but a guest, he isn’t even an officer in every episode in which he appears. Michael Bendetti is then introduced in episode 3 as Officer Tony (Mac) McCann. Apparently the huskier Gray lacked sufficient ‘sex’ appeal. The ‘hunk’ factor had no part in the arrival of the chunky Peter DeLuise’s brother Michael as Joey Penhall; both having inherited their father’s fat genes. Although Holly Robinson and DeLuise remain both are now too mature to go undercover as teens so they infiltrate as substitute teachers.

There doesn’t appear to be any lack of new original ideas or writing quality in these new episodes; nor is there any fall-off in production values. It would seem the loss of it’s original stars and the fact that the cast members out-grew their roles led to the show’s demise.