One show that did very well for the Fox Network in its inaugural run was 21 Jump Street. Before Johnny Depp became Tim Burtons golden goose he was starring as part of a team of young cops who would go undercover in high schools and colleges to bust crooks. It was a hip police procedural that dealt with topical issues like teen suicide, drugs, and date rape to name but a few. Needless to say, it was red hot. The same unfortunately cant be said about its spin off show Booker starring Richard Grieco. The powers that be at Fox were grooming Grieco to be the next Johnny Depp and its not hard to see why. Naturally handsome, Grieco also had another ace up his sleeve his ability to deliver every line, no matter how mundane, with a smug yet cool disdain. It made him all the more suitable for a spinoff about a former member of the Jump Street team, now disillusioned and working as a private investigator for a major corporation. It was a darker 21 Jump Street for an older crowd. Tragically, audiences werent ready for Griecos brand of awesome, and the show only lasted one season. Now, in the 21st century, viewers have warmed up to anti-heroes with a heart of gold. Its time for Booker to come back, and who better to play him then the man who originated the role? Similar to the way Kevin Dillon basically played himself as Vinnie Chases less famous brother in Entourage, Grieco can channel his own sense of being washed up and burnt out to play Dennis Booker. He would no longer have to act like a guy bitterly lashing out at the system, he could just play himself. Dennis Booker was a role Grieco was born to play, but he just had to have two decades of a bad career before he was ready. Mark my words, the world is ready for more Richard Grieco, even if it doesnt know it yet.
