{"id":44981,"date":"2026-08-14T19:17:38","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T14:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44981"},"modified":"2026-08-14T19:17:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T14:17:38","slug":"23-years-later-ncis-needs-to-revisit-the-series-it-originated-from","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44981","title":{"rendered":"23 Years Later, NCIS Needs To Revisit The Series It Originated From"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/tag\/ncis\/\" target=\"_blank\">NCIS<\/a> <\/strong><\/em>has spent over two decades watching as the MCRT solves high-stakes cases, but prior to the show&#8217;s debut, the series it originated from was one of CBS&#8217; most popular, and it deserves to be revisited after nearly 25 years. Although there are likely some current <em>NCIS <\/em>viewers who weren&#8217;t aware that the long-running series, which has spun off into several other shows over the years, stemmed from another, <em>NCIS <\/em>being a spinoff isn&#8217;t a secret. CBS&#8217; hit came from a popular decade-long series, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/db\/tv-show\/jag\/\" target=\"_blank\">JAG<\/a>. <\/em>Following military lawyers through cases, <em>JAG <\/em>was more of a legal drama than a procedural.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>While <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/ncis-jag-spinoff-characters-return-merge\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>NCIS <\/em>and <em>JAG <\/em>were both military-based<\/a>, the original CBS series followed David James Elliott as Harmon Rabb, Jr. and Catherine Bell as Sarah &#8220;Mac&#8221; MacKenzie as they moved through the complicated world of judge advocates, or JAGs. Operating as lawyers in uniform for the US Navy, the judge advocates on <em>JAG <\/em>were able to prosecute and defend specific criminal cases and advise on military law, which brought them into some intense investigations throughout the course of the series. While <em>JAG<\/em> has a somewhat complicated premise, the series was able to weave fun character dynamics through its in-depth, sweeping stories.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the run of <em>JAG, <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/jag-seasons-ranked-worst-best\/\" target=\"_blank\">which aired over 200 episodes<\/a> between 1995 and 2005, viewers got the chance to know an entirely different side of the legal system and military. By the show&#8217;s end, which overlapped with the beginning of <em>NCIS, <\/em>it had built a massive following, one that would surely love to see an updated version of the series.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"ncis-originally-spun-off-from-cbs-39-hit-jag\">\n                        NCIS Originally Spun Off From CBS&#8217; Hit, JAG<br \/>\n               <\/h2>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/david-james-elliott-s-harm-and-catherine-bell-s-mac-looking-emotional-and-laying-next-to-each-other-in-jag.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;Credit: MovieStillsDB&quot;\">\n<figure><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/david-james-elliott-s-harm-and-catherine-bell-s-mac-looking-emotional-and-laying-next-to-each-other-in-jag.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/david-james-elliott-s-harm-and-catherine-bell-s-mac-looking-emotional-and-laying-next-to-each-other-in-jag.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/david-james-elliott-s-harm-and-catherine-bell-s-mac-looking-emotional-and-laying-next-to-each-other-in-jag.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/david-james-elliott-s-harm-and-catherine-bell-s-mac-looking-emotional-and-laying-next-to-each-other-in-jag.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/david-james-elliott-s-harm-and-catherine-bell-s-mac-looking-emotional-and-laying-next-to-each-other-in-jag.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/david-james-elliott-s-harm-and-catherine-bell-s-mac-looking-emotional-and-laying-next-to-each-other-in-jag.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"1650\" height=\"928\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"David James Elliott's Harm and Catherine Bell's Mac looking emotional and laying next to each other in JAG\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/david-james-elliott-s-harm-and-catherine-bell-s-mac-looking-emotional-and-laying-next-to-each-other-in-jag.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/david-james-elliott-s-harm-and-catherine-bell-s-mac-looking-emotional-and-laying-next-to-each-other-in-jag.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture><figcaption style=\"display: none;\">David James Elliott&#8217;s Harm and Catherine Bell&#8217;s Mac looking emotional and laying next to each other in JAG<\/figcaption><small class=\"body-img-caption\">Credit: MovieStillsDB<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Although <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/jag-show-streaming-release-date-confirmed\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>JAG <\/em>spent a decade on the air<\/a>, the final seasons are where <em>NCIS <\/em>comes into play. Two episodes toward the end of <em>JAG <\/em>season 8 saw characters from <em>NCIS<\/em> come into play, with Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) appearing on the series for an extended backdoor pilot. With the MCRT investigating a murder that <em>JAG&#8217;s <\/em>main character, Rabb, was being framed for, the characters got the chance to shine without the baggage of having to cross over from their own show just yet. Simply introducing Gibbs and DiNozzo was a great jumping off point.<\/p>\n<p>While <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/ncis-jag-harm-rabb-leon-vance-replacement-perfect\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>JAG <\/em>and <em>NCIS <\/em>share the same universe<\/a>, the premises of the shows couldn&#8217;t be more different.<em> <\/em>Though <em>JAG <\/em>focuses on the military in a way that, especially for the time, sometimes feels intense, the shows both make it clear that their Navy affiliation is a huge part of the story. Otherwise, however, <em>NCIS <\/em>focuses more on major crimes and intense procedural investigation, while <em>JAG <\/em>brings in elements of investigation to help move their cases forward. Delving deeper into the legal side, <em>JAG <\/em>is a vastly different series, one that brings its own personal and professional story complications to light.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"a-jag-reboot-would-allow-the-ncis-universe-to-branch-out-further\">\n                        A JAG Reboot Would Allow The NCIS Universe To Branch Out Further<br \/>\n               <\/h2>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:50%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/dinozzo-and-gibbs-in-ncis-jag-backdoor.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n<figure><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/dinozzo-and-gibbs-in-ncis-jag-backdoor.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/dinozzo-and-gibbs-in-ncis-jag-backdoor.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/dinozzo-and-gibbs-in-ncis-jag-backdoor.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/dinozzo-and-gibbs-in-ncis-jag-backdoor.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=1\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/dinozzo-and-gibbs-in-ncis-jag-backdoor.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/dinozzo-and-gibbs-in-ncis-jag-backdoor.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=1\"\/><img width=\"825\" height=\"413\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DiNozzo and Gibbs in NCIS' JAG Backdoor \" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/dinozzo-and-gibbs-in-ncis-jag-backdoor.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=1\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/dinozzo-and-gibbs-in-ncis-jag-backdoor.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=1\"\/>\n        <\/picture><figcaption style=\"display: none;\">DiNozzo and Gibbs in NCIS&#8217; JAG Backdoor\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Although <em>JAG <\/em>originally ended in 2005, the series making a comeback in 2026 could be an interesting way to expand the <em>NCIS <\/em>franchise without another <em>NCIS <\/em>series. While <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/ncis-new-york-break-recasting-rule-cbs\/\" target=\"_blank\">there are <em>NCIS <\/em>spinoffs<\/a> as far as the eye can see, rebooting a classic series that feels somewhat outside of the same lane could be a great way to extend the show&#8217;s universe even further. Rather than focusing on major crimes and the appropriate response, rebooting <em>JAG <\/em>would allow the <em>NCIS <\/em>characters to mingle with a different set of military personnel without much potential for the characters to complicate each other&#8217;s stories.<\/p>\n<p>While <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/ncis-jag-characters-cameos-list\/\" target=\"_blank\">the original <em>JAG <\/em>characters<\/a> may not be an option after so many years, it seems possible that a <em>JAG <\/em>reboot could find itself pulling from the 1995 series in a fun way that sees the original honored, but a new group of JAGs coming into the picture. Despite the <em>NCIS <\/em>universe feeling like it has a lot to support as the 2026-2027 season begins, bringing a different series into the fold and incorporating something that&#8217;s less of a direct copy and paste from the original <em><strong>NCIS <\/strong><\/em>could be a great way to reinvigorate the franchise moving forward.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card type-screen large\" data-show-streamrentbuy-links=\"true\" data-include-community-rating=\"true\" id=\"f53f-49bf-b43630076c4a\">\n<div class=\"display-card-main-content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"display-card-main-content\">\n<div class=\"display-card-content image-column\">\n<p>                        <!--    Rating block community and brand ratings --><br \/>\n                        <!--  Image --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-img  has-image-group\" data-stnl=\"%7B%22category%22%3A%22Click%20Interactions%22%2C%22name%22%3A%22Tag%20Display%20Card%22%2C%22action%22%3A%22Fullscreen%20Image%20Load%22%2C%22once%22%3Atrue%7D\" data-stnl-group-once=\"kbbS5N4YNY\">\n<div class=\"body-img portrait \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  img-article-square\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0383007_poster_w780-1.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n                                                                                                                                                            <picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0383007_poster_w780-1.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=300&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0383007_poster_w780-1.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=300&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0383007_poster_w780-1.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=400&amp;dpr=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0383007_poster_w780-1.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=400&amp;dpr=1\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0383007_poster_w780-1.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=320&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0383007_poster_w780-1.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=320&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"480\" height=\"720\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"0383007_poster_w780-1.jpg\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0383007_poster_w780-1.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=480&amp;dpr=1\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0383007_poster_w780-1.jpg?q=70&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=480&amp;dpr=1\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        <!-- User Rating widget --><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"display-card-content info-column\">\n                                                                                                                            <!--  Display card tags widget --><\/p>\n<p>                                                <!--  Display card community and brand rating widget --><br \/>\n                                                                <!--  Display card main info widget --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-info main-info\">\n<dl>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Release Date<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSeptember 23, 2003<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Showrunner<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDonald P. Bellisario<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<\/dl><\/div>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card main info widget end --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!--  Display card media widget start --><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card media widget end --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!-- Cast widget start --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-cast\">\n<ul class=\"cast-tab-list\">\n<li class=\"cast-tab full-width\">\n                                                                                <img width=\"100\" height=\"130\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Headshot Of Sean Murray\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/instar53701932.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=50&amp;h=65&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/instar53701932.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=50&amp;h=65&amp;dpr=2\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-cast-info flex\">\n<p>Sean Murray<\/p>\n<p>\n                                                    Timothy McGee\n                                                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"cast-tab full-width\">\n                                                                                <img width=\"100\" height=\"130\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Headshot Of David McCallum \" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/instar49192673.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=50&amp;h=65&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/instar49192673.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=50&amp;h=65&amp;dpr=2\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-cast-info flex\">\n<p>David McCallum<\/p>\n<p>\n                                                    Dr. Donald &#8216;Ducky&#8217; Mallard\n                                                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>                                        <!-- Cast widget end --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!-- Where to watch button preview --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!-- Where to watch preview end --><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <!-- Extra content section, display hidden by default --><br \/>\n            <input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"extra-content-f53f-49bf-b43630076c4a\" name=\"extra-content-f53f-49bf-b43630076c4a\" class=\"expand-extra-info-checkbox css-menu-checkbox\"\/> <!-- Checkbox: control the expandable behavior  of the extra info --><\/p>\n<p>            <!-- Display card footer --><\/p>\n<p>            <!-- PROS and CONS section --><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NCIS has spent over two decades watching as the MCRT solves high-stakes cases, but prior to the show&#8217;s debut, the series it originated from was one of CBS&#8217; most popular, and it deserves to be revisited after nearly 25 years. Although there are likely some current NCIS viewers who weren&#8217;t aware that the long-running series,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ncis-naval-criminal-investigative-service_3b6b982f.jpg?w=1600&h=900&fit=crop","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsweek-trending"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}