JAG (TV series)

JAG
Genre
Created byDonald P. Bellisario
Starring
Opening theme"Theme from JAG"
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons10
No. of episodes227 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerDonald P. Bellisario
Producers
Production locations
Cinematography
  • Hugo Cortina (1995–2001)
  • David J. Miller (2004)
  • Larry Lindsey (1995–96)
Running time42–47 minutes
Production companies
Budget$2.6 million per episode
(2002)
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 23, 1995 (1995-09-23) 
May 22, 1996 (1996-05-22)
NetworkCBS
ReleaseJanuary 3, 1997 (1997-01-03) 
April 29, 2005 (2005-04-29)
Related
NCIS franchise

JAG (U.S. military acronym for Judge Advocate General) is an American legal drama television series with a U.S. Navy theme, created by Donald P. Bellisario and produced by Belisarius Productions in association with Paramount Network Television (now CBS Studios). The series originally aired on NBC for one season from September 23, 1995, to May 22, 1996, and then on CBS for an additional nine seasons from January 3, 1997, to April 29, 2005. The first season was co-produced with NBC Productions (now Universal Television) and was originally perceived as a Top Gun meets A Few Good Men hybrid series.

In the spring of 1996, NBC cancelled the series after it finished 79th in the ratings, leaving one episode unaired. In December 1996, rival network CBS picked up the series as a midseason replacement and aired 15 new episodes as its second season. For several seasons, JAG climbed in the ratings and ultimately ran for nine additional seasons. JAG furthermore spawned the hit series NCIS, which in turn led to spin-offs NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Hawaiʻi, NCIS: Sydney, and NCIS: Origins.

In total, 227 episodes were produced over 10 seasons. At the time of the original airing of its fifth season in the United States, JAG was seen in over 90 countries worldwide.