21 Jump Street (TV Series)

Johnny Depp played the part of Officer Tom Hanson from 1987 to 1989.

As he first appeared in the show's pilot, Tom Hanson was an eager but inept young police officer, incapable of getting the respect required to subdue criminals due to the fact that he looked even younger than he was. After bumbling the apprehension of some criminals and getting his partner's nose broken, Tom was moved to the Jump Street division, where his high schooler looks would be an asset rather than a hindrance. Tom was a real square at that point in the show. His sport of choice was bowling, he broke cover at the drop of a hat, and was quite put out when he was required to have an ear pierced and dress in grubby clothes. As the show went on, however, audience reactions to Tom caused the writers to take a different look at his character. With Johnny Depp fast becoming a teen hearthrob, it seemed appropriate to the makers of the that he should be playing the sort of "bad boy" that teen hearthorbs are supposed to play. Tom remained a bowler, but he stopped being a square. He became a bad boy with a heart of gold--one that stoop to anything in order to "do the right thing." He broke the law, got a tattoo, crashed parties, and angsted. While he may not have been a very deep character, Tom was at least a stepping stone in Depp's career.

Thanks to TheCollector for the character information.