A key actor from the original pilot of NCIS offers a realistic response about the chances of coming back to the long-running franchise. More than two decades later, even after the departure of lead actor Mark Harmon, the CBS drama is still going strong on the way to NCIS season 23. But it is a continuation of another popular procedure.
The complete of the NCIS franchise, which includes several shows, actually dates back to JAG. Beginning in 1995 and running until 2005, the military legal drama was described as a hybrid between Top Gun and A Few Good Men. It starred David James Elliot and Catherine Bell, with JAG serving as the backdoor pilot for NCIS.
But in a recent interview with TV Insider, while promoting his new Syfy drama Revival, Elliot offered a realistic response about returning to his JAG role of Harmon ‘Harm’ Rabb Jr. In the quote below, the actor reflects on returning to NCIS: LA and whether he would do it again:
“I don’t see that happening.”
“I did that because of R. Scott Gemmill, who was a writer in the first two seasons of JAG on the show, and then he left and he ran ER, and he then of course ran NCIS: LA, and he’s still a friend of mine. I pitched an idea to him, and he liked it. We were talking about maybe taking the Harm character and doing something with him or similar to [it], and then he went, ‘Yeah, but why don’t we do this?’ And I went, ‘Oh, great,’” It was fun. It’s fun to work with him. I don’t really know any of the people on NCIS, but I guess if they came to me, I certainly would consider it. So who knows.”
What This Means For The NCIS Franchise
Elliot & Bell Already Had A Great Return
As mentioned in Elliot’s reply, he reprises his role for a brief arc on NCIS: LA in 2019. The storyline doesn’t offer much in the way of resolution for the complicated relationship between Harm and Mac (Bell), but it’s clear the former JAG leads to having a lot of love for one another. Their relatively small returns even offer a window into how their careers have evolved.
While there’s definitely intrigue in seeing Bell and Elliot mix it up with the NCIS cast, it could be argued that there’s something satisfying about their last on-screen appearances. The cameos on the Los Angeles spinoff don’t attempt to tie up Harm and Mac’s story into a neat bow, and it’s clear they’ve had their ups and downs.
That is satisfying in its own right. But as Elliot makes clear, if there was a reason for him to come back to NCIS, he is open to reprising Harm even though he feels it’s unlikely. It would just have to be the right idea.
Our Take On Another JAG Guest Run
Maybe For A Big Episode
A big return could still happen for a special episode of NCIS, perhaps a finale or an anniversary. But the procedural is very much its own story, without any strong JAG ties, especially with Harmon’s exit. That makes Harm return a bit trickier.
