Terry Crews Joins New Series Ripped From Comics

Terry Crews is starring in Jumpstart, a new series for CBS based on the newspaper comic strip of the same name.

By Mark McKee | Updated

terry crews

Terry Crews is returning to the world of policing in a fictional space, this time in a comic strip adaptation. After spending 153 episodes over eight seasons as Lieutenant Terry Jeffords opposite Andy Samberg on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Crews is donning the badge once more as Joseph L. Cobb on the CBS adaptation of the comic strip, Jumpstart. According to Deadline, the giant actor will also executive produce the multi-camera comedy pilot based on Robb Armstrong’s long-running comic strip. 

Terry Crews’ new series will move from the East borough of New York to the City of Brotherly Love as the Jumpstart comic is based in Philidelphia, where cartoonist Robb Armstrong grew up. The strip follows Cobb, a charismatic black man in Philly who attempts to find the balance between his work life as a cop and his home life in a community. It also focuses on him and his wife, who is a nurse, as they raise their children, Sunny, Jojo, and the twins Tommy and Teddi.  

Of course, with Terry Crews heading the cast in Jumpstart, he will play Cobb, a devoted son, father, husband, and police officer. He often feels pressured to be perfect as a police officer to show that not all police are bad and to be the ideal father to subvert the stereotypes of the black community. There are no other casting announcements at the moment, but now that they have their lead, it won’t be long before The Expendables actor’s on-screen family starts to come together. 

The role of Terry Jeffords sees a character that had a rough childhood due to being overweight, bullied by others, and growing up with a cruel father. That background mirrored Terry Crews’ childhood as he also grew up with a father who was an alcoholic and beat his mother. The connection to his real-life home atmosphere turned Jeffords into one of the best characters in the series due to Crews’ portrayal of the guy who lost his nerve for fear of not seeing his new children grow up. 

tales of the walking dead
Terry Crews in Tales of the Walking Dead

Robb Armstrong took a similar approach to write Jumpstart, modeling the family and the storylines after his real-life experiences growing up in Philidelphia. Now that he has the connection to his real life with an actor with a history of bringing his real-life experiences to the screen, we could be in store for a comedy with a deep and wholesome core. 

Terry Crews is best known for his TV roles in Everybody Hates Chris and Brooklyn Nine-Nine and for hosting America’s Got Talent and all of its spinoffs. He also developed a very successful film career by starring in The Longest Yard with Adam Sandler and Chris RockThe Expendables with Sylvester Stalone and Jason Statham, and Deadpool 2 with Ryan Reynolds and Josh Brolin. 

While he is known for his brutish size and flawless comedic timing, he is also an accomplished musician, having gone to school for that and adding it to many of his performances. With all that put together for his role in Jumpstart, we could see the next great part for Terry Crews.