21 Jump Street Rewatch
I can't quite recall what lead to the discussion and/or internet researching but in a series of related topics my parents and I started down a path of nostalgia on Sunday evening which devolved into fond memories of the Lone Ranger radio show (and others), the Lone Ranger trailer and me thinking, 'Why, I need to rewatch 21 Jump Street!'
When the awful trailer of that travesty of a movie was released last year, my eyeballs burned at what they had turned 21 Jump Street into. But it was only now, a year later that I decided to rewatch the tv show, after a bout of 'Johnny love' nostalgia. Monday night, I braced myself for the inevitable 'I can't believe how dated it is' flavour of disappointment that old 80s shows bring. Even my best fav as a child, McGyver, did not live up to memory fueled expectations. Nonetheless I was prepared for Jump Street to be weaker/lamer than I remembered. Even Star Trek TNG from roughly the same time (1987) did not age well during that rewatch.
As the opening sequence rolled a ridiculous smile broke over my face - ahhhhh.... what joy. I did not expect to remember the first episodes. I have few Jump Street scenes etched into my memory, but I think its mostly the later seasons with Richard Grieco that I recall. So with no surprise, it was like watching the show for the first time, re-seeing the first episodes. Heck, I didn't remember/know that there was a Captain who preceeded Captain Fuller.
Oh my! O.o the writing is so ... cliched! It probably wasn't too cliched at the time, but now... O.o I can't stop giggling. Poor little wee Johnny tries SO hard but either the writing is too weak or the director was too heavy handed or he was just that new, but yowza! those early episodes were hammy. I did a happy SG1/SGA love wave at Peter deLuise every so often.... One of the true joys of watching old 80s tv shows is spotting all the young guest stars who became famous later, like Josh Brolin or fandom favs like General Hammond and Todd/Alistair!!.
Interestingly enough, after 6 episodes Captain Jenko disappears and the show is shaken up, the cast find their feet (or get a better director/writer combo) and voila... it becomes more like the show I remember. Perhaps after 6 episodes, the show was picked up for a season and the network decided to add some welly. Johnny's Tom Hanson finds a level of quirky spunk to his nerdy overachiever. Doug Penhall gets wackier - which is awesome and they hit their buddy cop stride :) The production also improves in episode 7, brighter colours, better sets... and my limited internet searching can't determine what may have happened other than a flood of 'oooo, the kid is popular with the young 'uns' throw money at them' - and we get a lot more Johnny-centric stories.
I can't seem to stop watching... its still relatively weak, Johnny has bouts of moments where I can see the future Capt. Jack, Mad Hatter, Willie Wonka and Ed Wood emerging and I am really enjoying the trip down memory lane. Season 1 is almost done, and I haven't remembered an episode yet. *Ah nostalgia!*
When the awful trailer of that travesty of a movie was released last year, my eyeballs burned at what they had turned 21 Jump Street into. But it was only now, a year later that I decided to rewatch the tv show, after a bout of 'Johnny love' nostalgia. Monday night, I braced myself for the inevitable 'I can't believe how dated it is' flavour of disappointment that old 80s shows bring. Even my best fav as a child, McGyver, did not live up to memory fueled expectations. Nonetheless I was prepared for Jump Street to be weaker/lamer than I remembered. Even Star Trek TNG from roughly the same time (1987) did not age well during that rewatch.
As the opening sequence rolled a ridiculous smile broke over my face - ahhhhh.... what joy. I did not expect to remember the first episodes. I have few Jump Street scenes etched into my memory, but I think its mostly the later seasons with Richard Grieco that I recall. So with no surprise, it was like watching the show for the first time, re-seeing the first episodes. Heck, I didn't remember/know that there was a Captain who preceeded Captain Fuller.
Oh my! O.o the writing is so ... cliched! It probably wasn't too cliched at the time, but now... O.o I can't stop giggling. Poor little wee Johnny tries SO hard but either the writing is too weak or the director was too heavy handed or he was just that new, but yowza! those early episodes were hammy. I did a happy SG1/SGA love wave at Peter deLuise every so often.... One of the true joys of watching old 80s tv shows is spotting all the young guest stars who became famous later, like Josh Brolin or fandom favs like General Hammond and Todd/Alistair!!.
Interestingly enough, after 6 episodes Captain Jenko disappears and the show is shaken up, the cast find their feet (or get a better director/writer combo) and voila... it becomes more like the show I remember. Perhaps after 6 episodes, the show was picked up for a season and the network decided to add some welly. Johnny's Tom Hanson finds a level of quirky spunk to his nerdy overachiever. Doug Penhall gets wackier - which is awesome and they hit their buddy cop stride :) The production also improves in episode 7, brighter colours, better sets... and my limited internet searching can't determine what may have happened other than a flood of 'oooo, the kid is popular with the young 'uns' throw money at them' - and we get a lot more Johnny-centric stories.
I can't seem to stop watching... its still relatively weak, Johnny has bouts of moments where I can see the future Capt. Jack, Mad Hatter, Willie Wonka and Ed Wood emerging and I am really enjoying the trip down memory lane. Season 1 is almost done, and I haven't remembered an episode yet. *Ah nostalgia!*