JAG Justicia Militar

I love "JAG." That's just about all there is to say. I got hooked on it one night after seeing the episode of "Maggie Winters" on which David James Elliott guest-starred. The show has given me a new appreciation for the military, and I really like the diversity of the characters and storylines. (Of course, being a "shipper," I love the UST between the two main characters, but that's not the only reason I watch the show.)

As I once said to a friend to whom I was recommending the show: "It will give you a new perspective on the military side of our socio-political system; it will open your eyes to the travesty around you, with storylines weekly pulled from the headlines; it will offer you several pieces of eye candy, varying in gender, age, and race; and it will broaden your horizons when it comes to what types of quality programming you permit yourself to watch. . . . With creative episodal writing, there are references to many past episodes, keeping the regular viewer constantly on his or her toes."

Really, though, "JAG" is a very enjoyable show, something that I can sit and watch with my parents and still talk about with my friends. It's really just a great show, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

When I started to watch this show I fell instantly in love. The action, adventure, court-room drama, and the hidden love between Mac and Harm was, and still is, stunning. It introduced me to the Navy and gave a little view into Navy Life. I believe that even though this show may seem unsatisfying to some, there are still thousands, if not more, fans like me.

I've always been a huge fan of Don Bellisario's creations, starting with 'Airwolf' (still my all-time favourite), and then 'Quantum Leap', but J.A.G. is really Don's excuse to get back to what he does best... military-based drama series (preferably with some big aerial toys to play with).

I loved the 1st Season of J.A.G. especially... the scripts and cast were at their best (with Andrea Parker - who later moved on to one of the main roles in 'The Prefender'), Tracey Needham and Andrea Thompson, but a network & cast change at the start of the 2nd Season brought about a slight watering down of the show [the same happened after the superb 1st Season of 'Airwolf'] increased the ratings - so much so, that by its current 1999-2000 5th Season, it is now a Top 20 Nielsen show.

The show has returned more to its action roots with the 4th and 5th Seasons, so I'm happy again.

Some of the 2nd & 3rd Season episodes are terrible though - including the one based in Northern Ireland, which was completely unrealistic. Like the Russian post above this one, the producers/writers of the show should visit other countries first before using every foreign stereotype they can come up with.

But, in the end, I still wouldn't miss this show (the only one I currently even make time to watch regularly) as it is, after all, a Belisarius Production!

It surprises me (assuming the show is reasonably accurate) how relatively little the Navy has changed since I got out of it 31 years ago. I assume the show gets some cooperation from the Navy, anyway it's worth watching. I have yet to see a bad episode. My only criticism is there is a tendency to wrap up an episode too quickly sometimes and there is too much time spent on romance and not enough on action (wow, I sound like I am about ten years old. Hmm.)

First, I would like to say that if you have never seen "JAG" before, you need to watch it, especially if you are even just remotely interested in the Navy, the Marines, the Military in general, military law, civilian law, good stories, Catherine Bell or any other of the actors/actresses. The stories are very interesting, especially so in the last two or three seasons. I have watched the show regularly for several years, and the stories seem real, not just a lot of shooting and talking with no plot, like some other shows(cough..Pensacola..cough..). Watching this show has given me insight into how many things work in the military, and also it has many cool things that fit into the story without making it plotless-like SEALs, Naval/Marine Aviation, and even Russia and the KGB. If you hadn't figured it out already, JAG stands for Judge Advocate General, the legal branch of the military. The show centers on a group of Naval/Marine lawyers and legalman(somewhat of researchers and assistants to the Judge Advocates(lawyers)). The characters evolve over time, and you see their characters change. For example, Lt. Bud Roberts, a junior naval officer that debuted on the show as a public affairs officer or something on an aircraft carrier that Harm(David James Elliot) and Mac(Catherine Bell) are sent to to investigate a crime. Bud later became a regular on the show, transferring to the office of the JAG and becoming a legalman. Later, he goes back to the carrier with Harm and Mac(this is much later), and falls in love with then-Ensign Simms, who has replaced him in what he did on the carrier, who later does what Bud did and transfers. Bud becomes a lawyer and is promoted to Lt. jg and later Lt., and the two are married and have a child together. The characters are also developed somewhat more subtly, such as when Bud's father, Master Chief Bud Roberts(Sr.), Ret. is court-martialed(is charged of a crime and brought to trial in military court. The Master Chief is a drunk and abused Bud and his brother Mikey when they were children. Bud Sr. didn't show up for his son's wedding. Mikey is eventually coerced to enlist in the Navy, becoming a fire controlman, and is eventually charged with crimes himself(Bud Sr. and Mikey both are found innocent). I went to all the trouble of registering and writing this so the least you can do is watch the show once. It's on 8pm EST on CBS(new and recent re-runs) Tuesdays, and 7pm EST every night on USA(re-runs from past seasons), excepting for special shows/events such as Big Brother and the Grand Open. It's a great show and I think you will like it, so at least watch it.