The 21 Jump Street Episode You Forgot Brad Pitt Starred In

Anyone born in the late '90s to the early 2000s would tell you that "21 Jump Street" is a movie featuring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as young cops that go undercover as high school students in order to bust a supplier dealing deadly drugs to kids. They wouldn't be wrong, as that film was released in 2012 and then got a sequel, "22 Jump Street," two years later in 2014. However, anyone born before that time would probably think of the original "21 Jump Street" — the late '80s television show with essentially the same plot, but featuring a young Johnny Depp.

The original show began airing in 1987 and went on for five seasons, with the premise being a little more broad, as LAPD wanted cops posed as high schoolers because crime in schools was bad. The show was beloved and carried a solid viewership, particularly with teen audiences (via The Washington Post), with Depp as the lead and his stardom on the rise. However, you may have forgotten that another Hollywood icon made an appearance on the show when he was about the same age as Depp — and that's Brad Pitt.

In the 20th episode of "21 Jump Street" Season 2, titled "Best Years of Your Life," Brad Pitt has a guest spot as an antagonistic character for both Tom Hanson (Johnny Depp) and Doug Penhall (Peter DeLuise). During the episode, Hanson and Penhall investigate a string of break-ins and burglaries. They soon catch the young boy committing the crimes, only for him to die by suicide afterwards. 

Pitt plays the role of Peter — the boyfriend of a girl in Hanson and Penhall's friend group — who tries to knock some sense into Penhall after he begins handling the suicide of the arrested boy very strangely. Penhall starts to make jokes and snide comments about suicide in general, and at the end of the episode, we learn that Penhall dealt with alcoholic parents and that they are both deceased, indicating that the suicide is likely triggering for him. It's a pretty heavy episode for Pitt to be a part of, and it was only his second year of being in the business getting official acting credits. 

Previously, Pitt had a couple of short roles on other popular shows such as "Dallas." Not too long after "21 Jump Street," Pitt began his rise in Hollywood as a heartthrob and gifted actor, appearing in more television series in the late '80s to early '90s like "Growing Pains" and "Glory Days," and then skyrocketing to fame with many lead movie roles. Overall, being a part of "21 Jump Street" was a pretty cool rung on the ladder for Pitt and his acting career.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.