JAG revival: Is CBS really considering it after NCIS: Los Angeles event?
Could the upcoming JAG reunion on NCIS: Los Angeles eventually turn into something a little bit more? We’ll admit that the moment we heard about David James Elliott and Catherine Bell coming back in their old roles, the thought crossed our mind.
Yet, we also didn’t want to get too excited about the concept. Given that CBS already has another military legal show in The Code, they don’t necessarily need another legal show on the air. Also, revivals have already proven themselves to be hit-or-miss on the network; this past fall, a new version of Murphy Brown proved itself to be a little bit of a pop-culture disappointment.
Yet, it seems as though CBS may at least be considering the idea of a new version of JAG, though nothing is altogether confirmed at the moment. According to a report from TVLine, CBS is quietly using the end of this NCIS: Los Angeles season as a way to test out a possible idea for a new JAG that would star Bell and Elliott.
Is the idea of this exciting? Absolutely, but we don’t really want to sound an alarm that this means it’s going to happen. There is no formal backdoor pilot or plan currently determined for the show to be on the 2019-20 schedule. If the network likes what they see here, it’s possible that a revival could come down the line, but we don’t exactly think that it would be ready for the fall. This may just be a way to gauge the sort of enthusiasm that would be out there for it.
Among diehard original JAG fans, the idea of more may be appealing — especially since there is still some connective tissue between this show and NCIS. We’ve seen cast members appear across both the original NCIS and NCIS: LA, and to go along with that, we still remember the original backdoor pilot from so many years ago. The challenge is going to be trying to recruit new viewers who weren’t so into the original show or simply weren’t aware of it. We’ve seen from the past few years that reboots and revivals can’t survive just based on their original audience — this can’t be JAG by virtue of nostalgia. It has to be something that combines both the love people have for the original and something that is new and exciting.
We’ll revisit this idea down the line, but for now, consider it something to store away in the back of your mind. Enjoy the end of this NCIS: Los Angeles season and we’ll see where things go from there. Of course, more JAG sounds great in theory, but sometimes, it is also best to leave great memories as that. It’s hard to reclaim the original sense of magic that a show had.
What do you think about the idea of a JAG revival? Is this something that you would want to watch? Be sure to share some of your thoughts in the attached comments, and remember to stay tuned for some more news.