!! The Series

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The theme song is quite catchy, even 40 years later. And what makes it even better is that it's actually Holly Robinson, one of the lead actors of the series, who sings it (Creator/JohnnyDepp and Peter [=DeLouise=] are the ones who shout "JUMP!" during the refrain).
** The series itself was also notable for licensing a lot of good popular music to use within the episodes, including Music/TheRollingStonesBand, Music/{{REM}} and others. Unfortunately, this licensing did not cover home releases and the soundtracks were stripped from most DVD/Streaming options; see the Trivia tab for more information.
* BizarroEpisode: "[[Recap/TwentyOneJumpStreetS04E15BackFromTheFuture Back from the Future]]", a ClipShow episode where the framing device is a rookie officer in the 2040's interviewing the original team members, now in old age. It introduces a science fiction element into the series which had none previously.
* HarsherInHindsight:
** Ioki's addiction to Morphine (after having survived a shooting and having been in a coma) was treated as something relatively minor in the 1980's, when the focus was much more on addiction to hard drugs. However, since [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioid_use_disorder opioid addiction]] became a big crisis in the late 2010's and it became known to the general public that addiction to ''legal'' drugs can be as bad as to illegal drugs, this became harsher to watch...
** When Hanson (undercover) is trying to get into an illegal car race, another competitor (who doesn't know him) tries to taunt him with "What, did ''your Daddy'' buy you this car?". Harsher when you realize Hanson inherited the car, that used to be his father's, because, as revealed two episodes later, his father was murdered.
** In "Woolly Bullies", Hanson recounted the time he was being bullied and harassed by a girl when he was younger, and it was PlayedForLaughs with a heartwarming ending. It might not be as funny anymore in regards to Depp with the revelations of what his ex-wife Creator/AmberHeard [[DomesticAbuse has done to him]].
* HilariousInHindsight: The episode "Fear and Loathing with Russell Buckins", in which Hanson's bad-boy storyline plays as a PG-rated version of ''Literature/FearAndLoathingInLasVegas''. Creator/JohnnyDepp would later star in the film version of said novel.
* {{Narm}}:
** The theme song, especially of the first season.
--->You're gonna learn something when we see you after school!
*** NarmCharm
** The end credits, which entirely consist of a hand flipping through a high school year book. It was probably meant to make viewers feel nostalgic about their own high school time, but because nothing more was shown of the unidentified person looking through the book other than the hand, it looked and felt like a [[AnArmAndALeg dismembered]] hand; and no pictures shown in the book had any relevance to any character or event ever appearing in the show, eliciting a "WTF do these credits have to with the show?" reaction from many.
* RetroactiveRecognition: Featured many actors in guest roles, who later became famous.
** Creator/BradPitt in "Best Years Of Your Life" - sporting a hilarious [[EightiesHair 80s haircut]].
** Creator/VinceVaughn in "Mike's P.O.V."
** Creator/JadaPinkett-Smith in "Homegirls".
** Creator/JoshBrolin in "My Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades". [[WhatCouldHaveBeen He and Johnny Depp were the two finalists for the role of Hanson]].
** Creator/PaulyShore in "Two for the Road".
** Creator/JasonPriestly [[YouLookFamiliar twice in different roles]]: in "Two for the Road" and "Mean Streets and Pastel Houses".
** Creator/ShannenDoherty, another later ''[[Series/BeverlyHills90210 90210]]'' star, in "Things We Said Today".
** Creator/ChristineElise in "Out of Control--yet another later ''90210'' star.
** Creator/ChristinaApplegate in "I'm OK--You Need Work".
** Creator/ChristianClemenson in "Raising Marijuana".
** At least three actors from ''Series/TwinPeaks'': Creator/SherilynFenn in "Blindsided" (also notable for her dating Depp at the time), Creator/RobinLively in "Mike's POV", and Creator/DanaAshbrook in "Whose Choice is it Anyway?".
** Creator/BlairUnderwood in "Gotta Finish the Riff".
** Creator/BridgetFonda in "Blinded by the Thousand Points of Light".
* StoicWoobie: Tom Hanson is pretty stoic by nature, and goes through so much that you really feel for him. He's particularly stoic in season 2's "Orpheus 3.3" in which his girlfriend, Amy, is shot and killed during a convenience store holdup, and he initially suppresses any sadness he might feel.

!! The Film

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[https://youtu.be/o4PSX9Rt8Og Back Together]], the opening theme and {{Leitmotif}} of the movies is a swooning orchestral score that can either pump a person up or act as a somber backing track depending on how its tuned.
* CrossesTheLineTwice:
** Schmidt tries to shut up a family friend at the store who almost blows his cover in front of Eric by shoving her against a table of shoes, and then saying she tried to grab his dick.
** When [[spoiler:the coach]] got his dick shot off. After he stops complaining a bit, they go "is that it?!" and point to half a hot dog. He then tries to grab it with his mouth. Also brings this certain quote to mind: [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark "You shot him in the dick! That's not cool, Butters!"]]
* EnsembleDarkhorse: Captain Dickson.
* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Prior to this film, Creator/ChanningTatum was in danger of being typecast in bland action and romance roles. Playing Jenko gave him the chance to show the world that he can be outright hilarious and got producers wondering what else he was capable of as an actor.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** Schmidt has a crush on and kisses [[{{Film/Superbad}} his previous best friend's]] [[Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld formerly evil-ex girlfriend]].
* HoYay:
** Jenko and Schmidt; they both frequently "wrestle" with one another in the film, and the movie makes a point of how Schmidt is unable to ask anyone to the prom without screwing up or chickening out. Him asking Jenko is the only time he does it without error.
** [[spoiler:The HoYay from the series gets taken up to eleven in the movie when Hanson and Penhall get shot and as they lay dying, they both profess their mutual admiration for one another.]]
* HumorDissonance: The trailer for the movie has a scene where the police captain, played by Music/IceCube, asks the two officers played by Tatum and Hill if they're autistic, intending it as an insult. It's supposed to be seen as very funny. That didn't go over very well with the autistic community.
* JerkassWoobie: Eric Molson. He's a smug, condescending jerk who brushes off those who he considers beneath him under a veneer of open-minded progressiveness, and seemingly has no moral qualms about selling dangerous and addictive drugs to his classmates. But, after it's discovered that he was actually forced into evil because Mr. Walters caught him smoking marijuana, and that he fears prison because he would be a likely target for rape, his fate in the [[Film/TwentyTwoJumpStreet second movie]], it's hard not to feel bad for the guy.
* MemeticMutation: The top comment under the HFS video is "I can't masturbate to this". In some circles of the internet that reference has become an all-purpose expression of a WTF reaction.
* OneSceneWonder:
** Johnny Simmons as Billiam, the student who first shows just what the HFS drug does. It's hilarious.
** [[spoiler:Creator/JohnnyDepp and Peter [=DeLuise=] reprising their roles from the show.]]
* PopularityPolynomial: Played with. Using both backpack straps = desperately uncool in 2005, simply how you carry a backpack in 2011.
** According to a [[http://www.slate.com/articles/life/cool_story/2013/10/two_straps_on_a_backpack_or_one_strap_what_s_cool.html surprisingly in-depth investigation]] done by ''Slate'', the shift was already well underway by 2005. But the movie's putting it out there was what led to the article in the first place...
* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/DakotaJohnson, Creator/DaveFranco, and Oscar winner Creator/BrieLarson, all of whom became stars of their own accord after this movie.
* TheScrappy: Schmidt's mom is known for being pretty annoying.
* {{Squick}}:
** At the climax, [[spoiler:Schmidt shoots off Mr. Walters' dick, and the latter tries to pick it up with his mouth]].
** Schmidt's romance subplot with Molly can be this if you're put off by the 7-year age difference, because even though the film goes out of its way to specify that Molly is 18, she's still in High School being courted by a fully grown man.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: A JerkJock bully running into his former victim while they're at a police academy and becoming friends while they help each other overcome their weaknesses would be a pretty good film on its own.
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