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New York Vue ~ Daily News TV Guide

April 24, 2005

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The military drama of 'JAG' will fly its 227th mission this week-its last-ending a 10 year run for a series some thought would never last. 

Indeed, the show has undergone cast changes, network changes, and was even canceled, making it a rarity in television-a survivor.

"We've had an amazing run, particularly for a series that was once cancelled," series creator Donald Bellisario said when the end was announced.

The end of 'JAG' was foreshadowed earlier this season when it was revealed that series star David James Elliott would leave after this outing.  A new male character, played by Chris Beetum, was brought in, perhaps, to continue forward next year if the show was picked up.

"JAG" which stands for Judge Advocate General corps, follows a group of military lawyers who investigate crimes involving military personnel.

The concept of the show was hatched after Bellisario read a story about the first deployment of female aviators to carrier ships.  He then started writing a script about a female pilot who ends up a murder victim.

"I had to find out who investigates these things," Bellisario said a few years back.  "When I found out JAG officers prosecute, defend, and investigate, all with the same people, I thought "Wow, what a franchise!"  I sold it to NBC as a kind of 'Top Gun' meets 'A Few Good Men.' "

It launched with Elliott in the lead role as Lt. Cmdr. Harmon Rabb, Jr.  The first episode had Andrea Parker as Rabb's sidekick.  She was then replaced by Tracey Needham who had the role for a year.  And then Catherine Bell became Maj. Sarah (Mac) Mackenzie.

NBC launched the show to good reviews but not-so-great ratings.  By the end of the season, it was clear 'JAG' would not be on NBC the following year.

Usually, being dropped by a network is the kiss of death.  Very few series in the history of television have shifted networks and succeeded.  Yet 'JAG' was different.  When word got out that  NBC wasn't interested in a second outing, ABC and CBS jumped in.  CBS won out, but held it as a midseason replacement.

By the time it launched on CBS in January 1997, the relationship between Rabb and MacKenzie was changed, with them becoming equals.

Over time. the military angle of the show - it launched with extensive footage from aboard a real life carrier - was played down and the legal aspects played up.  Throughout of course, there was the constant sexual tension between Rabb and MacKenzie.

In the finale - titled "Fair Winds and Following Seas," Rabb and MacKenzie get relocation orders requiring them to each pick which JAG team members are going with them.

No matter what Elliott and Bell do next, they can thank "JAG" for helping propel their careers to new levels.  Each has turned up on best-looking lists and garnered more work.

"The whole point of getting a series is getting your face and name out there," Bell said in 1998.  "CBS has been asking me to do a lot of their parades, which is flattering and nice."

Ratings for 'JAG' took off in 1998, when the series routinely drew 15 million viewers.

"In my opening days at CBS, we needed to rebuild, we needed compelling, well-produced shows that would appeal to a wide audience," CBS chairman Leslie Moonves said when it was revealed "JAG" would end.  "JAG" was one of the first series to fill that void, making an immediate impact on Friday nights. ...Since then, "JAG" has been one of the cornerstones of our schedule and a very influential part of the network's turnaround."

But like any aging series, ratings for "JAG" began to stagnate over time.  However, as the only military-themed series on the air, "JAG" picked up ratingswise in the months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, in part, because of greater media attention.

"Since 9/11, I've done more interviews than I did in the prior six seasons of the show," Bellisario said before the telecast of the 150th episode of "JAG" in February 2002.

At that point, the show, which presents a generally positive view of the military, was 12th overall, compared to 28th the previous season.

Indeed, Bellisario, a former Marine, admitted then he felt out of place in a "very, very left" Hollywood.

"We didn't discover our patriotism on 9/11," Bellisario said then.  "We've always been a show that's promilitary, but not jingoistic."

It's been an approach that worked well for "JAG" and CBS.

However, as competition has increased, ratings have sagged.

So, facing an audience of 9.7 million viewers - down from 10.9 million a year ago - and the loss of the series' leading man, CBS officials decided to end the program.