A key actor from the original pilot ofNCISoffers 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 toNCISseason 23. But it is a continuation of another popular procedural.
The entirety of theNCISfranchise, which encompasses several shows, actually dates back toJAG. Beginning in 1995 and running until 2005, the military legal drama was described as a hybrid betweenTop GunandA Few Good Men. It starred David James Elliot and Catherine Bell, withJAGserving as the backdoor pilot forNCIS.
But in a recent interview withTV Insider, while promoting his new Syfy dramaRevival, Elliot offered a realistic response about returning to hisJAGrole of Harmon ‘Harm’ Rabb Jr. In the quote below,the actor reflects on returning toNCIS: LAand 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 ofJAGon the show, and then he left and he ranER, and he then of course ranNCIS: 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 goes, ‘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 onNCIS, but I guess if they came to me, I certainly would consider it. So who knows.”
What This Means For The NCIS Franchise
As mentioned in Elliot’s reply, he reprises his role for a brief arc onNCIS: LAin 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 formerJAGleads have a lot of love for one another. Their relatively small returns even offer a window into how their careers have evolved.
NCISseason 23 debuts later this year.
While there’s definitely intrigue in seeing Bell and Elliot mix it up withtheNCIScast,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 toNCIS,he is open to reprising Harmeven 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 ofNCIS, perhaps a finale or an anniversary. But the procedural is very much its own story, without any strongJAGties, especially with Harmon’s exit. That makes a Harm return a bit trickier.
