20 Years After ‘JAG’ Ended, ‘NCIS’ Could Finally Revisit Its Roots — but It’s Up to David James Elliott

When you think of NCIS, chances are that you picture Gibbs’ (Mark Harmon) head slaps, Abby’s (Pauley Perrette) lab, or the sprawling franchise of spinoffs that have stretched across the CBS schedule over the years. But what is easy to forget is that NCIS was one of these, too. Before Leroy Gethro Gibbs and Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) ever walked into the Navy Yard, there was JAG — a military legal drama that paved the way for one of the most successful franchises in TV history.

Two decades after JAG signed off, there is a lingering question that fans still ask: Could NCIS ever circle back to where it all began? The answer, frustratingly enough, depends almost entirely on whether series star David James Elliott would step back into uniform as Captain Harmon Rabb, Jr.

The Courtroom That Started It All

Premiering in 1995, JAG was built around Elliott’s Harm Rabb and Catherine Bell‘s Sarah “Mac” Mackenzie, two Navy lawyers caught between high-stakes cases and an even higher-stakes “will-they-won’t-they” romance. The show mixed legal drama with military intrigue, giving CBS something unique in a landscape then dominated by Law & Order and medical dramas.

By its later seasons, JAG had become a comfortable staple of network television, complete with crossover episodes designed to introduce the team from NCIS. Those backdoor pilots, airing during JAG‘s eighth season, gave audiences their first look at Gibbs and company. Just a few years later, JAG wrapped up while NCIS exploded in popularity, gradually becoming the crown jewel of CBS.

The ‘NCIS’ Connection Fans Can’t Forget

For years, NCIS seemed almost allergic to acknowledging its parent series. Aside from the occasional wink of brief reference, Harm and Mac faded into the background while Gibbs’ team dominated primetime. That finally changed when NCIS: Los Angeles revived the duo for a season-long arc in its 10th season. The reunion was a bittersweet one, revealing that the pair had been together and split — but perhaps had some unfinished business to take care of.

That small taste was enough to reignite fan speculation. If Harm and Mac could pop up in NCIS: LA, why not on the flagship series? After all, NCIS has never shied away from dipping into nostalgia or calling back to past characters when it makes sense for the story. Recently, they even included LL Cool J‘s Sam Hanna in an episode arc following the death of the team he was working with during his brief stint on the now-canceled Vanessa Lachey-led NCIS: Hawai’i.

Why a Return Makes Sense Now

The timing has never been better for CBS to lean into JAG nostalgia. Not only is NCIS celebrating milestone seasons and still pulling in strong ratings, but reboots and reunions are more popular than ever. Paramount+ is stacked with legacy content, and JAG itself is streaming there, waiting to be rediscovered by new audiences who may not even realize its connection to NCIS and its empire.

A crossover could also serve the story in compelling ways. Imagine Harm stepping in as defense counsel for a high-profile case, clashing with the NCIS team in the process. Or Mac returning to lend her expertise on an international matter, creating natural tension with the agents. Done right, it wouldn’t just be a fan service — it could deepen the shared universe CBS built without ever fully exploring its true origins.

The catch is that none of this happens without Elliott. The actor has been candid about not expecting a return, though he hasn’t closed the door entirely. His brief comeback on NCIS: Los Angeles wasn’t planned as a franchise revival so much as a favor for his friend R. Scott Gemill, who was the showrunner of the show as well as a writer and executive story editor on JAG. That’s telling: It suggests that while Elliott isn’t actively pushing for a Harm Rabb comeback, he isn’t against it either.

Whether or not Harm and Mac ever return, JAG‘s fingerprints are all over NCIS. Without it, there would be no Gibbs, no Tony and Ziva (Cote de Pablo), no sprawling franchise that’s still expanding over two decades. Revisiting those roots wouldn’t just be a nostalgia trip — it would be a reminder of where one of TV’s biggest juggernauts came from.

For now, fans will have to settle for rewatching both shows on Paramount+. But the possibility isn’t futile, and if CBS ever chooses to let Harm Rabb walk into the Navy Yard again, audiences will surely salute the moment.