JAG (Judge Advocate General) Season 5 DVD Credits:

Region: 1

JAG (Judge Advocate General) Season 5 DVD Release Date: 29th January 2008

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JAG (Judge Advocate General) Season 5 DVD Review:

Judge Advocate General, acronym JAG, was a court-room lawyer drama that ran for ten seasons. The show is set around the military and the enforcement of military law or the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The series centers on Judge Advocate Harmon “Harm” Rabb Jr. (David James Elliott), a lawyer for the United States Navy. Joining Harm in his quest is Lt. Colonel Sarah “Mac” Mackenzie (Catherine Bell), a lawyer of the United States Marine Corps, and junior Judge Advocate Lieutenant Commander Bud Roberts (Patrick Labyorteaux).

JAG was met with mixed reviews, but eventually found its legs in its dedicated viewers. Perhaps the most substantial coup for the series came from the Department of Defense, who realized that the series put the military and its members in a positive light. As a result, the producers were given access to both military installations and their gear. Up to this point, the producers were forced to rely upon stock footage and to recycle scenes from films like The Hunt for Red October, Clear and Present Danger, and Top Gun, as well as shoot on the set from The Crimson Tide. With the support of the Department of Defense, JAG became the first show to be endorsed by the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps.

Season five finds Harm challenged by a series of interesting characters including an admiral developing a psychic training program and a Marine who refuses to testify against his fellow Marine. Rabb also faces adversity when he has to clear his good name from a newspaper article that criticizes the President of the United States. Mac also faces challenges as she works to help a woman whose fiancée is killed, to still have his baby, despite opposition from an ex-wife. Season five also introduces character Gunnery Sergeant Victor “Gunny” Galindez, a recurring character on the show.

JAG is an engaging show walking a fine line between legal drama the likes of Law and Order, stuck within the confines of the stringent military code, and a melodramatic story of a couple who are morally unable to declare their love due to their work. The series has been described as a taut mix between Top Gun and A Few Good Men, forging an entertaining combination of action adventure and courtroom shows.

Every member of the cast creates a memorable character. The writing is well informed and inventive as they create new and interesting situations. That being said, JAG is and was easily lost in a sea of stronger courtroom dramas. The JAG producers seem to have always chosen the safe route rather than to push the envelope. This “playing it safe” results in what feel like forced dramatic beats created only to pull on the viewer’s heartstrings to evoke a response. Likewise, while the characters are memorable, the series tends to amalgamate into one general JAG experience, one that while it is enjoyable, is forgettable in the same moment.

Season five of JAG includes all 25 hour-long episodes on seven DVD discs. Each episode is presented in Widescreen format and in stereo surround sound. Also included in the DVD release is a GAG REEL.

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JAG (Judge Advocate General) Season 5 DVD review written by: Andrew Mattson