It took nearly 15 years for David James Elliott to reprise Harmon “Harm” Rabb Jr., his US Navy lawyer from CBS’ long-running drama “JAG,” which signed off in April 2005.
“I never thought I would wear the shoes again,” says Elliott, 58, who returns as Rabb on a three-episode arc of “NCIS: Los Angeles” next month. “I felt that we took [Rabb] as far as we could, but this is shining a new light on him — he’s evolved, his career path has changed, and it was time.
“It felt good. It was surreal,” he says of shooting the episodes. “The first day [on the set] was odd, but it was like sliding into an old shoe.”
Elliott’s “JAG” co-star, Catherine Bell, will also reprise her role as Major Sarah “Mac” MacKenzie in the “NCIS: Los Angeles” season finale. “Those 14 years seemed to dissolve into what felt like yesterday,” says Elliott. “The characters were there at the same time, but they’ve evolved and their history has broadened or deepened,” he says of Rabb and MacKenzie. “Things have happened that I won’t tell you about — you’ll have to tune in to find out — but it will be great for fans of ‘JAG’ and certainly there’s a lot there for the new audience to enjoy.”
Elliott says that, over the years, he was never asked to reprise Rabb on either of the three “JAG” spinoffs: Mark Harmon’s mega-successful “NCIS” (just renewed for Season 17), “NCIS: Los Angeles” or “NCIS: New Orleans.”
“I was never officially approached, though I heard rumblings, but no one ever reached out,” says Elliott, who will star on the upcoming Netflix series “Spinning Out.”
‘Maybe this is just the beginning of more adventures to come.’
“This sort of evolved because I know Scott Gemmill, the showrunner of ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’; he was a writer in ‘JAG’s’ early years and a fellow Canuck and we were friendly. We were talking and Scott had an idea. He’s had other [‘JAG’] characters back … and it sort of evolved from that. I don’t know if I would ever have done this had it not been with Scott, who I know and trust and admire as a writer. He was always my favorite writer [on ‘JAG’].”
The Harmon Rabb we’ll meet on “NCIS: Los Angeles” has changed from the guy we last saw back in 2005, Elliott says. “He’s no longer practicing law. He’s now an executive officer aboard a nuclear war ship, a carrier, and he’s second-in-command,” he says. “He gets to fly jets again and is head of the air wing — his responsibilities are certainly great and it’s a new challenge. This is a different guy, a different person than he was [on ‘JAG’].
“At his core he’s a moral person who’s trying to do the right thing,” he says. “It’s an exciting new, fresh way to look at the character and it was enticing to me … to do a three-episode arc to explore things I don’t think we could ever have done in one episode.”
The return of Elliott and Bell as Rabb and MacKenzie has spurred rumors of a series revival starring the ex-“JAG” co-stars. “Hey man, who knows, maybe this is just the beginning of more adventures to come,” Elliott says, adding that there’s “nothing official” about a possible revival.
“This would be a re-imagining of the characters which, to me, is a very interesting way to go,” he says. “We can bring in the old fans and have the opportunity to bring in new fans with a fresh, exciting show.
“It would be kind of like ‘Star Trek’ in that there would be no end of story possibilities, since the ship is like an ER on the water, like a small floating city, with political and international intrigue. I would certainly be open to it.
“I will add this,” he says. “I put on the old [‘JAG’] uniform and, to be honest, it fit better than it did when I took it off years ago.
“It’s like putting on an old graduation suit.”