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Aug 12, 2010 Issue #32 - Summer 2010 - Wasted on the Youth By Jim Scott

If it hasn’t happened already, someday someone will teach a class in which the passage of time in the United States is studied through its television shows aimed at and featuring teenagers. Does anything say late ‘50s quite as well as Leave It to Beaver? Want to really remember the ‘80s? Square Pegs says everything. Most of these shows don’t hold up particularly well (try watching Beverly Hills, 90210), but few hold up as poorly as 21 Jump Street.

It’s easy to hear the sales pitch: Miami Vice in high school. The problem is, none of the officers are even mildly convincing as teenagers. Officer Doug Penhall (Peter DeLuise) must have had to shave between periods. The show does a commendable job of turning this into a joke at times, but it doesn’t do enough to rescue it from a giant shrug. What comes closer is the presence of Johnny Depp. It’s astonishing to see Depp in what amounts to a teen action drama, with little pathos and hilarious music. Watching the four seasons in which Depp starred is like watching LeBron James in high school: as he grows into himself, it becomes apparent that he’s outgrown everything around him to an almost laughable extent. (www.millcreekent.com)

Author rating: 4/10