ABSTRACT
The TV series JAG (NBC, 1995–1996; CBS, 1997–2005) focuses on the lives and adventures of US Naval and Marine Corps lawyers attached to the Judge Advocate General’s Office, which investigates, prosecutes, and defends individuals charged with crimes under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Helmed by journeyman producer Donald Bellisario, an ex-Marine who previously scripted series like Baa Baa Black Sheep (NBC, 1976–1978), Magnum, P.I. (CBS, 1980–1988), and Air Wolf (CBS, 1984–1986), the show was pitched as a cross between the action film Top Gun (1986) and the courtroom drama A Few Good Men (1992). Based on the cinema-quality, two-hour pilot (“A New Life”), NBC picked the series up for its 1995–1996 schedule on the condition that Bellisario recast the female lead for greater sex appeal and increase the action quotient. 1 Thus, season one focuses mostly on the virile exploits of Lieutenant Harmon “Harm” Rabb, Jr. (David James Elliott), a hunky pilot-turned-lawyer who brawls his way through most of his legal cases. Little attention is paid to developing the characters or their relationships, and virtually no attention is paid to the intricacies of the legal system. In the post-Tailhook, post-Anita Hill era, 2 this “guns, guts, and girls” formula proved a ratings loser, and NBC abruptly canceled the series. 3 This set off a bidding war between CBS and ABC, both of whom were eager to target “heartland” viewers and saw the series as a potential attractor. 4 CBS secured the series, gave Bellisario greater control over the show’s development, and the rest is history.
