It has been five years since Catherine Bell returned to her beloved JAG character, Sarah “Mac” MacKenzie, in NCIS – Los Angeles, and she is eager for a full comeback to the role. Initially appearing in the legal drama’s first season as Diane Schonke, a Navy officer who captured the heart of David Elliot James’ Harm before her tragic murder, Bell established herself as a strong legal ally to Harm throughout the show’s nine seasons, culminating in their transformation into a genuine couple in the final season.
Although the return of Season 11 hinted at a brighter future for the JAG characters, Mac and Harm have yet to appear in the NCIS franchise again, and Catherine Bell is eager for that to change.
At the Motor City Comic Con’s From The Courtroom To A Magical Enchantress panel, Catherine Bell admitted that her and Elliott’s NCIS – Los Angeles comeback “was a bit disappointing,” especially since the show’s fans “hoped to see us together.”
Despite this disappointment, Bell is enthusiastic about the prospect of reuniting Mac and Harm for additional stories. Recognizing the vast array of possibilities for the duo, the JAG star proposed several of her own concepts for their return, suggesting that “Mac continues to collaborate with the government.”
“She remains in a position of authority, a strong woman; perhaps Harm and Mac are back together,” Bell remarked with a smile.
To Bell’s credit, her and Elliott’s final appearances as Mac and Harm in NCIS – Los Angeles Season 11 offered a glimmer of hope for JAG fans who were disheartened by the couple’s breakup.
In the premiere, they talked about mending their relationship after reuniting in person, while the season finale only featured Bell’s return, showing her still serving in the Navy as a lieutenant colonel.
Similar to Bell, Elliott has shown enthusiasm for a possible JAG revival. In a recent interview celebrating the 20th anniversary of the series finale, he mentioned that “there’s always a chance” for the show’s return, especially since creator and franchise producer Donald P. Bellisario is still alive and actively involved in the project.
One of the significant challenges that a JAG revival encounters is that it’s successor, NCIS, has largely surpassed the original series in terms of popularity, making it difficult to convince CBS Studios to invest in a new version of the legal drama.
The primetime network, along with it’s affiliated streaming service, Paramount+, continues to enjoy substantial success with the franchise. Despite initially broadening the titular agency’s reach to various regions across the country with spinoffs, NCIS has significantly redirected it’s spinoff efforts towards the mainline show’s characters.
This includes the Gibbs-centered Origins prequel series and the Tony & Ziva series featuring Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo on Paramount+. Notably, the former has recently welcomed back Mark Harmon, who had previously retired from his role, and is now looking to cast a younger version of Scott Bakula’s Dwayne Pride from New Orleans.
With that in mind, considering Elliott and Bell’s ongoing enthusiasm, along with the absence of a definitive conclusion for the franchise, it’s clear that the possibility for JAG to return is very much alive.
Specifically, NCIS – Origins could serve as a launching pad for the legal drama to re-emerge on it’s own, expanding on Gibbs’ connection with the Navy’s legal division and creating narratives that not only lead to his first appearance in the original series but also resonate with contemporary cases.