JAG

Harmon 'Harm' Rabb Jr. swapped a cockpit for a courtroom when he left life as a naval aviator to join the Judge Advocate General corps as a military lawyer. He's assigned complex prosecutions and defenses that mix legal procedure with the hazards of service life, and he teams with Lt. Col. Sarah MacKenzie, a principled and determined prosecutor turned partner. Their cases can involve everything from misconduct and espionage to accidents at sea, and investigations often drag in command pressure, intelligence concerns, and ethical gray areas. Action sequences and courtroom strategy sit side by side, and the characters' friendships and romances add steady human stakes as each episode tries to uncover what really happened. His courtroom instincts are tested regularly.

Created by Donald P. Bellisario, JAG premiered in 1995 and stars David James Elliott, Catherine Bell, and Patrick Labyorteaux. The show ran for multiple seasons and built a steady ensemble cast across its television lifespan, and introduced recurring guest roles.

Across its decade-long run JAG picked up a range of industry recognitions, from television nominations to guild acknowledgements for technical and performance work. It didn't dominate major award ceremonies, but it earned respect among peers and occasional nods from critics and industry groups, including craft categories like sound and editing.

JAG helped normalize legal stories set inside the military and directly led to the creation of NCIS, which became a major franchise. Its steady mix of courtroom procedure, maritime incidents, and recurring character types influenced later procedurals and kept military justice visible in popular culture.

Audience ratings place it around 7.3/10 based on 376 votes, reflecting solid fan appreciation. Critics praised the show's procedural clarity and lead chemistry while noting some formulaic beats. Recurrent themes include duty, legal ethics, chain of command, the personal costs of service, and the tension between law and loyalty.