Background and development
The creator of JAG, Donald P. Bellisario, served for four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, and after having worked his way up through advertising jobs, he landed his first network television job as a story editor for the World War II–era series Baa Baa Black Sheep, where he got a habit of promoting a consistent promilitary stance in a business where he got the perception that "antiwar" and "antisoldier" mentality were the commonplace. The stereotype in the post–Vietnam War era of "crazed Vietnam veterans" was notably subverted, by not just one, but three of the main characters, in Magnum P.I., of which Bellisario was the co-creator.
At the start of the third season, JAG moved its production base from the Paramount lot at Melrose Avenue in Hollywood out to Valencia Studios in Santa Clarita in order to save costs and putting more of the budget on screen rather than spending on soundstage rentals. The spin-off series NCIS has remained on the same studio facility for its entire duration and was filmed side-by-side with JAG for the ninth and tenth season of the latter and the first and second season of the former.
It was reported by Variety in February 2002 that the average production cost per episode of JAG at that time was around $2.6 million.
Collaboration with the military
thumb|The then-[[Judge Advocate General of the Navy, Rear Admiral Donald J. Guter (second from left), visiting the set, meeting with the cast during the shooting of "Liberty" in 2001]]
Initially, the producers of JAG did not receive any co-operation from the U.S. Department of Defense entertainment media liaison offices, due to sensitivity in light of all the accumulative negative publicity that had been generated from the Tailhook scandal and its aftermath. However, the lack of co-operation from the military was not a show-stopper, as the JAG production team, by virtue of being a Paramount Pictures production, had access to the abundant stock footage from the studio's motion pictures, which included many films with military content, such as Top Gun, The Final Countdown, and The Hunt for Red October (and the two other Tom Clancy movie adaptations).
In 1997, though, the naval services had begun to change their minds, and began to render support to the production team on a script-by-script basis with the United States Marine Corps more eager than the United States Navy to render production assistance. A primetime network series about Navy lawyers bringing out controversial subjects in a very public arena was during the third season apparently no longer an issue in itself, but as noted by Commander Bob Anderson of the Navy Office of Information West in Los Angeles in a TV Guide interview: "We're fine with that as long as the bad guys are caught and punished, and the institution of the Navy is not the bad guy".
The production filmed on regular basis at nearby installations, primarily at Naval Base Ventura County and its two component parts: Naval Air Station Point Mugu and Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme.
Series end
thumb|right|Harm (David James Elliott) and Mac (Catherine Bell) use a challenge coin to determine who will resign their commission.
David James Elliott left the show at the end of the 10th season; the show was subsequently not renewed for an 11th season by the network. The show also introduced new younger characters, including former As the World Turns star Chris Beetem, and Jordana Spiro from The Huntress.
The producers also considered relocating the fictional setting of the show, from Falls Church to Naval Base San Diego. An episode of the final season, "JAG: San Diego" had the main cast, excluding Harm, going to the San Diego naval base and working with the local JAG office there. Though it was reportedly considered as a pilot episode, as a reformat of the show aiming for a younger audience, CBS ultimately decided not to pursue a new series.
Nevertheless, CBS canceled the show on April 4, 2005, after 10 seasons. The final episode, "Fair Winds and Following Seas", aired on April 29, 2005, and in which Harm and Mac are assigned different stations: Harm in London, Mac in San Diego. They finally confront their feelings and decide to get married. The episode ends with Bud tossing a challenge coin to decide which one would give up their military career to be with the other. However, in keeping with JAG tradition, the outcome of the toss is never seen, as the screen fades to black, showing only the coin, which bears the inscription "1995 – 2005", the years the series spanned.
Postscript
The result of the coin toss was eventually revealed in the 2019 finale of the tenth season of NCIS: Los Angeles, "False Flag", in which David James Elliott and Catherine Bell both appeared. Mac won the coin toss and Harm resigned his commission and moved with her to San Diego, but later they mutually ended their relationship and Harm rejoined the Navy and is currently serving as the XO of the (fictional) aircraft carrier, USS Allegiance. Mac left the Marines to serve as the USMC liaison to the secretary of state, a civilian position at the U.S. Department of State. Harm and Mac had not seen each other in 9 years until video conferencing with each other in their new roles. In the eleventh season premiere, Harm and Mac reunite in person, share an embrace, and later renew a discussion of their relationship, once again without reaching any conclusions.
Reception
Critical reception
The pilot movie received a moderately positive review in Variety, which noted that it "borrows from recent features Crimson Tide and Apollo 13 in being jargon-heavy to help generate atmosphere but as Rabb's character is allowed to develop, JAG could become one of the season's highlights." Entertainment Weekly was less impressed by the first episodes of the first season and noted that there is, "...nothing new about JAG's plots; they're the sort of good-guy-against-the-establishment stuff you'd expect, with the scripts (including a recent one cowritten by the mystery novelist Robert Crais) a slight cut above most hour-long dramas."
During its run, JAG and its two lead actors (Elliott as "Harm" and Bell as "Mac") featured on the cover of TV Guide on two occasions: July 6, 2002 ("ON THE WINGS OF AMERICAN PRIDE, THE NAVY DRAMA FLIES HIGH"), and on May 3, 2003 ("JAG SOARS! Tough Timely Stories And a Likely Spin-off"). Virginia Heffernan wrote a scathing critique of JAG in the liberal progressive online magazine Slate that "As right-wing military propaganda JAG operates like socialist realist novels and the barking radio of G. Gordon Liddy: It pounds home its message at deafening volume, razing nuance and stranding viewers with nothing else to think."
The August 2009 issue of ABA Journal ranked the "25 greatest legal TV shows of all time" and JAG came in at number 13. JAG was on spot 10 out of 20 on a 2018 Wonderwall.com list over "Best TV shows about the military".
Nielsen ratings
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of JAG on NBC (first season) and CBS (other seasons).
: Note: U.S. network television seasons generally start in late September and end in late May, which coincides with the completion of the May sweeps.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%;"
|-
! Season
! Season premiere
! Season finale
! Time slot
! Network
! TV season
! Rank
! Viewers<br />(in millions)
|-
| 1
| September 23, 1995
| May 22, 1996
| <br />
| NBC
| 1995–1996
! style="text-align:center" | 79
! style="text-align:center" | 11.56
|- style="background:#f9f9f9;"
| 2
| January 3, 1997
| April 18, 1997
| Friday at 9:00 pm (EST) <small>(January 3 – March 7, 1997)</small><br />Friday at 8:00 pm (EST) <small>(March 28 – April 18, 1997)</small>
| rowspan="9"| CBS
| 1996–1997
! style="text-align:center" | 68
! style="text-align:center" | 11.80
|- style="background:#f9f9f9;"
| 3
| September 23, 1997
| May 19, 1998
| rowspan="6"|Tuesday at 8:00 pm (EST)
| 1997–1998
! style="text-align:center" | 36
! style="text-align:center" | 12.90
|- style="background:#f9f9f9;"
| 4
| September 22, 1998
| May 25, 1999
| 1998–1999
! style="text-align:center" | 17
! style="text-align:center" | 14.20
|- style="background:#f9f9f9;"
| 5
| September 21, 1999
| May 23, 2000
| 1999–2000
! style="text-align:center" | 25
! style="text-align:center" | 14.07
|- style="background:#f9f9f9;"
| 6
| October 3, 2000
| May 22, 2001
| 2000–2001
! style="text-align:center" | 31
! style="text-align:center" | 13.00
|- style="background:#f9f9f9;"
| 7
| September 25, 2001
| May 21, 2002
| 2001–2002
! style="text-align:center" | 15
! style="text-align:center" | 14.80
|-
| 8
| September 24, 2002
| May 20, 2003
| 2002–2003
! style="text-align:center" | 26
|-
| 9
| September 26, 2003
| May 21, 2004
| rowspan="2"|Friday at 9:00 pm (EST)
| 2003–2004
! style="text-align:center" | 37
! style="text-align:center" | 10.80
|-
| 10
| September 24, 2004
| April 29, 2005
| 2004–2005
! style="text-align:center" | 50
! style="text-align:center" | 9.66
|}
It was noted in 1998 that the largest segment of the audience was those over the age of 55. In 2003, the median age audience for JAG (along with the other CBS series' The Guardian and Becker) was 58 years, the second highest median in primetime network television, with only CBS 60 Minutes higher up.
Awards and nominations
:Source:
Primetime Emmy Awards
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Category
! Nominee
! Episode
! Result
|-
| rowspan="3"|1996
| Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Series – Single Camera Production
| Jon Koslowsky
| Pilot Episode
|
|-
| Outstanding Individual Achievement in Main Title Theme Music
| Bruce Broughton
| N/A
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costuming for a Series
| rowspan="2"|L. Paul Dafelmair
| "Smoked"
|
|-
| 1997
| "Cowboys and Cossacks"
|
|-
| 1998
| rowspan=2| Outstanding Cinematography for a Series
| rowspan="2"|Hugo Cortina
| "The Good of the Service"
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|1999
| rowspan="2"|"Gypsy Eyes"
|
|-
| Outstanding Costuming for a Series
| L. Paul Dafelmair
|
|-
| 2000
| rowspan=2| Outstanding Cinematography for a Single Camera Series
| rowspan="2"|Hugo Cortina
| "Boomerang, Part II"
|
|-
| 2001
| "Adrift, Part I"
|
|-
| 2002
| rowspan=2| Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)
| rowspan="2"|Steven Bramson
| "Adrift, Part II"
|
|-
| 2003
| "Need to Know"
|
|}
Other awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Association !! Category !! Nominee(s) !! Episode !! Result
|-
| 1999 || Humanitas Prize || 60 Minute Category || align="center"|— || Angels 30 ||
|-
|rowspan="3"| 2000 || ASCAP Awards || Top TV Series || Bruce Broughton<br />Steven Bramson || align="center"|— ||
|-
| TV Guide Awards || Favorite Actor in a Drama || David James Elliott || align="center"|— ||
|-
| Young Artist Awards || Best Performance in a TV Drama Series – Guest Starring Young Actress || Aysia Polk || align="center"|— ||
|-
| 2001 || Imagen Foundation Awards || Primetime Television Series || align="center"|— || Retreat Hell ||
|-
| 2003 || rowspan=2|ASCAP Awards || rowspan="2"|Top TV Series || rowspan="2"|Bruce Broughton<br />Steven Bramson || align="center"|— ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2004 || align="center"|— ||
|-
| Young Artist Awards || Best Performance in a TV Series – Recurring Young Actress || Hallee Hirsh || align="center"|— ||
|}
Connections with other shows
NCIS spin-off
In January 2003, Donald P. Bellisario was developing a JAG spin-off, around the work of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
Excluding the backdoor pilot, few major characters from JAG have appeared in the NCIS series. Patrick Labyorteaux appeared briefly as Lieutenant Bud Roberts in the NCIS first-season episode "Hung Out to Dry" and again – now with the rank of captain – in the season fourteen episode "Rogue", advising the NCIS team on a legal issue. John M. Jackson returned in May 2013 as retired Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden, now a civilian attorney in the private sector hired by Director Vance to provide legal representation for Special Agent Gibbs, in the season ten NCIS finale, "Damned If You Do". Jackson has recurred as A.J. Chegwidden since the eighth season of NCIS: Los Angeles. Chegwidden is a Vietnam-era compatriot of series regulars Hetty Lange (Linda Hunt) and Owen Granger (Miguel Ferrer). David James Elliot and Catherine Bell returned to their roles as Harmon Rabb and Sarah MacKenzie for the first time since JAG ended in the last two episodes of the tenth season of NCIS: Los Angeles.
While several other actors who played major roles on JAG have also appeared on NCIS, such as Scott Lawrence (Sturgis Turner on JAG), Steven Culp (Clayton Webb on JAG), Randy Vazquez (Victor Galindez on JAG), and Michael Bellisario (Mikey Roberts on JAG);
First introduced in the NCIS back-door pilot, Alicia Coppola appeared as Navy judge advocate Lieutenant Commander Faith Coleman in several episodes of NCIS. Adam Baldwin played the same guest role, Navy SEAL Commander Michael Rainer, in one episode of each show.
First Monday cross-over
First Monday was a series co-created by Bellisario and Paul Levine about fictional U.S. Supreme Court justices and their clerks, which aired in 2002 and starred James Garner and Joe Mantegna. The character of U.S. Senator Edward Sheffield (Dean Stockwell), who appeared in three episodes of that show, later became a recurring character on JAG as the new Secretary of the Navy, starting in season eight.
Yes, Dear tribute
The sitcom Yes, Dear did an episode called "Let's Get Jaggy with It" where Greg's father Tom (Tim Conway) wins a walk-on role on JAG. Catherine Bell guest-starred as herself while David James Elliott, Patrick Labyorteaux, and Scott Lawrence guest-starred as their respective JAG characters.
Bette tribute
The second episode of Bette Midler's short-lived sitcom Bette, titled "And the Winner Is", had a storyline where her title character wins an award for guest starring in an episode of JAG. The award-winning scene shows Bette playing a character who interrogates Harmon Rabb after comedically checking out his posterior. David James Elliott guest stars in this episode-within-an-episode. The episode aired on CBS on October 18, 2000.
Home media
On September 1, 1998, the pilot episode of JAG was released on VHS cassette in the United States by Paramount Home Entertainment. However, no other episodes of the series proper was released on any home entertainment media while the show was still in production, allegedly due to syndication deals made with several broadcasters.
Beginning in 2006, CBS Home Entertainment (distributed by Paramount) has released all 10 seasons on DVD in regions 1, 2 and 4. Seasons 1 to 4 are released with a 4:3 aspect ratio, while seasons 5 to 10 have a 16:9 aspect ratio. The region-2 and −4 editions do not have the bonus features (audio commentaries and retrospective interviews) included on the region-1 editions of seasons one and two.
On December 11, 2012, CBS released JAG: The Complete Series – Collector's Edition on DVD in region 1. This collection contains, other than all 227 episodes of the series and the bonus features of the previously released individual season packs, one disc with new bonus features and a booklet with production notes.
On April 14, 2015, CBS Home Entertainment released a repackaged version of the complete series set, at a lower price, in Region 1. It does not include the bonus disc that was part of the original complete series set.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:100%;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|DVD name !! rowspan="2"| of<br />episodes !! colspan="3"|Release dates !! rowspan="2"|Extra features
|-
! Region 1 !! Region 2 !! Region 4
|- style="text-align:center;"
| The Complete First Season
| style="text-align:center;"|22
| July 25, 2006
| colspan="2"|October 16, 2006
| style="text-align:left;"|Behind the Scenes Footage<br />Making of "Featurette"<br />Episode Commentaries<br />Rare unaired episode "Skeleton Crew"
|- style="text-align:center;"
| The Complete Second Season
| style="text-align:center;"|15
| November 7, 2006
| September 10, 2007
| August 16, 2007
| style="text-align:left;"|Behind the Scenes Footage<br />Making of "Featurette"<br />Episode Commentaries
|- style="text-align:center;"
| The Third Season
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|24
| March 20, 2007
| June 24, 2008
| June 5, 2008
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
| The Fourth Season
| August 21, 2007
| October 22, 2008
| October 2, 2008
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|Gag reel
|- style="text-align:center;"
| The Fifth Season
| style="text-align:center;"|25
| January 29, 2008
| colspan="2"|May 7, 2009
|- style="text-align:center;"
| The Sixth Season
| rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|24
| May 20, 2008
| September 14, 2009
| September 3, 2009
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
| The Seventh Season
| November 4, 2008
| March 22, 2010
| March 4, 2010
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
| The Eighth Season
| March 17, 2009
| June 21, 2010
| August 5, 2010
| style="text-align:left;"|Gag Reel<br />NCIS Pilot episodes "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown"
|- style="text-align:center;"
| The Ninth Season
| November 10, 2009
| September 20, 2010
| November 4, 2010
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
| The Final Season
| style="text-align:center;"|22
| February 9, 2010
| June 29, 2011
| July 6, 2011
| style="text-align:left;"|"JAG: The Final Goodbye"
|- style="text-align:center;"
| rowspan="2"|The Complete Series
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|227
| December 11, 2012
| June 27, 2011
|
| All bonus features of individual season packs<br />One disc of new bonus features, including the<br />documentary The JAGged Edge
|- style="text-align:center;"
| April 14, 2015
|
|
| All bonus features of individual season packs<br />
|}
Soundtrack
On April 26, 2010, Intrada released an album of music on compact disc from the series, featuring Bruce Broughton's theme and his pilot movie score (tracks 1–15) and weekly composer Steven Bramson's score from the second-season episode "Cowboys & Cossacks", including Broughton's format music (the main and end title theme and commercial bumper.)
See also
- Interservice rivalry
- Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy
- Uniform Code of Military Justice
- United States Navy Regulations
- Uniforms of the United States Navy
- Uniforms of the United States Marine Corps
- List of U.S. Navy acronyms
- List of United States Marine Corps acronyms and expressions
- The Code, 2019 TV series