The eighth season of '' JAG'' premiered on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

on September 24, 2002, and concluded on May 20, 2003. The season, starring

David James Elliott David James Elliott (born September 21, 1960) is a Canadian actor who was the star of the series '' JAG'', playing lead character Harmon Rabb Jr. from 1995 to 2005. Early life Elliott was born David William Smith on September 21, 1960, in Milton ...

and Catherine Bell, was produced by Belisarius Productions in association with Paramount Television. The two episodes, "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown" also introduced the team who later appeared in the spin-off series '' NCIS'' which became a franchise in its own right.

Plot

Tenacious lawyer Lieutenant Colonel Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie ( Catherine Bell), a by-the-book Marine, is tasked with prosecuting, defending, and enforcing the laws of the sea as a member of the Navy's elite Judge Advocate General Corps. Along with her partner Commander Harmon "Harm" Rabb, Jr. (

) - a former Tomcat pilot - Mac investigates a plethora of cases including desertion ("The Promised Land"), oxygen deprivation ("In Thin Air"), sexual harassment ("Offensive Action"), a mishap aboard the ''USS Seahawk'' ("When the Bough Breaks"), and a death during surgery ("Complications"). Also this season,

Bud Roberts Bud J. Roberts Jr. is a fictional character in the '' JAG'' TV series (played by Patrick Labyorteaux), created by Donald P. Bellisario as a work-for-hire for Paramount Television. Bud Roberts made two appearances in the first season of ''JAG'' ...

(

Patrick Labyorteaux Patrick Francis Labyorteaux (born July 22, 1965) is an American actor, television producer and television writer. In many of his earlier credits, his last name is spelled as "Laborteaux". He is best known for his roles of Andrew "Andy" Garvey on ...

) is injured in Afghanistan ("Critical Condition"), Petty Officer Jennifer Coates (

Zoe McLellan Zoe McLellan (born November 6, 1974) is an American actress known for roles in '' JAG'', ''Dirty Sexy Money'', '' NCIS: New Orleans'' and '' Designated Survivor''. , an arrest warrant against her has been outstanding since May 2021, on charges of ...

) joins JAG ("All Ye Faithful"), Commander Theodore Lindsey (W.K. Stratton) returns ("Fortunate Son"), Clayton Webb ( Steven Culp) goes missing in Paraguay ("A Tangled Webb"), and Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden (

John M. Jackson John Murice Jackson (born June 1, 1950) is an American actor, best known for playing Rear Admiral A. J. Chegwidden on the CBS series '' JAG'' and also as a special guest star on its spinoff '' NCIS'' and recurring cast to its spinoff '' NCIS: ...

) accidentally ejects from an

F-14 Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the ...

("Heart and Soul"). Meanwhile, Lieutenant Loren Singer (

Nanci Chambers Nanci Chambers is a Canadian-born American actress. Biography Chambers is perhaps best known for her role as the ambitious Lieutenant Loren Singer on the television series '' JAG''. Chambers has been a board member of the organisation "A Bette ...

) is murdered ("Ice Queen"), placing Leroy Jethro Gibbs ( Mark Harmon) and his '' NCIS'' team directly in Harm's way ("Meltdown").

Production

In January 2003, CBS president

Leslie Moonves Leslie Roy Moonves (; born October 6, 1949) is an American media executive who was the chairman and CEO of CBS Corporation from 2003 until his resignation in September 2018 following numerous allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and ...

announced that ''JAG'' executive producer and showrunner Donald P. Bellisario was developing a ''JAG'' spin-off, based on the work of the

Naval Criminal Investigative Service The United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is the primary law enforcement agency of the U.S. Department of the Navy. Its primary function is to investigate criminal activities involving the Navy and Marine Corps, though its ...

. Tentatively titled ''Navy CIS'', the series premiered during the ''JAG'' episodes "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown". Also this season,

Dean Stockwell Robert Dean Stockwell (March 5, 1936 – November 7, 2021) was an American actor with a career spanning seven decades. As a child actor under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he first came to the public's attention in films including ''Anchors A ...

joins the cast as his ''

First Monday ''First Monday'' is an American legal drama television series which aired on CBS during the midseason replacement from January 15 to May 3, 2002. The series centered on the U.S. Supreme Court. Like another 2002 series, '' The Court'', it was i ...

'' character Senator Edward Sheffield.

Cast and characters

Main

Also starring

Recurring

Guest appearances

Episodes

Notes

References

{{JAG television 08 2002 American television seasons 2003 American television seasons