‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ Recruits David James Elliott in Iconic ‘JAG’ Role

At long last, JAG star David James Elliott will finally appear in an NCIS episode. Navy Captain Harmon “Harm” Rabb Jr. will appear in an episode of NCIS: Los Angeles in May.

Harm will appear in “The Guardian,” the penultimate episode of NCIS: LA‘s season. In the episode, the NCIS team finds ISIS sympathizers plotting to attack U.S. aircraft carriers. The case results in Callen (Chris O’Donnell) and Sam (LL Cool J) working with Rabb, now the XO Captain of the USS Intrepid.

“Bringing Harmon Rabb to work with [the Los Angeles NCIS team] makes for a formidable coalition, and both entities are going to need all the help they can get when confronted with the greatest challenge of their careers,” NCIS: LA showrunner R. Scott Gemmill told TVLine Friday.

“[As a writer and producer] I did the first four seasons of JAG with him, so to be able to work together again in and of itself is great. But to do so with the same character, on our show, this many years later… that’s pretty damn amazing,” Gemill added.

Incredibly, this will be the first time either of the two main leads of JAG — Harm and Catherine Bell’s Major Sarah “Mac” MacKenzie — have appeared on any of the NCIS shows since the franchise was spun out of JAG in 2003. Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and his team were introduced in a two-part backdoor-pilot during JAG, and NCIS has since become the longest-running drama on CBS. Its own spin-offs include NCIS: LA and NCIS: New Orleans starring Scott Bakula.

Despite 31 seasons across the three NCIS shows, only supporting JAG characters have appeared before. John M. Jackson appeared in NCIS in 2013 and NCIS: LA in 2018, while Patrick Labyoteaux appeared in three NCIS episodes as Captain Bud Roberts.

Last year, Gemmill told TVLine that getting either Bell or Elliott to appear on NCIS: LA was a major goal of his. He said they came close in 2017, but neither actor was available when filming was set to start.

“That still is a goal of mine, to get as many of the original JAG players back in an episode,” Gemmill explained. “I have such fun when [John M. Jackson is] here, it’d be great to put them all together again. I think the fans would really dig that.”

Bell has talked about returning to CBS in the past. The actress, who now stars on Hallmark’s Good Witch, told TVLine it “would be really fun” to put on her old uniform again.

JAG ran from 1995 to 2005 for 10 seasons. The show started out on NBC, but after low ratings put the show’s future in question, the network passed on it and it landed at CBS for its second season. NCIS is now in its 16th season, while NCIS: LA is on Season 10 and NCIS: New Orleans is on Season 5.

The next new episode of NCIS: LA, “Searching,” airs on Sunday, March 31 at 9 p.m. ET.

Photo credit: Gale M. Adler/CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images