Tom Jicha from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel...
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/columnists/sfl-tvtj0721jul21,0,3298960=
..column
Flipping out on JAG
JAG fans who hoped for a conclusive ending to the CBS series have good
company co-star Catherine Bell. The military drama left viewers
literally hanging in mid-air as Bell's Mac MacKenzie and David James
Elliott's Harm Rabb flipped a coin to see which one would resign from
the service, so they could marry and be together. The final credits
came up before the coin came down.
Bell laughed and said not even she knows whether the coin landed heads
or tails. However, as far as she's concerned, "I think I won, of
course."
It's too bad the series had to end on a tease, she said. "When we
filmed our final episode, we didn't know if we were coming back. It
would have been nice to know because I think [executive producer] Don
Bellisario would have really written quite an ending."
Actually, it was universally known JAG wasn't going to return in the
form it had for 10 seasons. Elliott's contract was up, and after CBS
and Bellisario told him they would not be able to meet his price for a
new deal, he signed a development deal with ABC.
The hangup with the finale was Bell's future. Bellisario had worked up
a rough outline for a spinoff, with Mac relocating solo to San Diego.
The final scene viewers saw was written after CBS disappointed Bell by
opting to pass on the sequel.
"I was excited about it," she said. "It was a great idea. I think it
happened just a little too late [in the pilot season]. The network was
already thinking it wanted to move on. Maybe if we had started a little
sooner, it might have caught on."
Mustering out of JAG was a bittersweet experience. "I was sad to see it
go because it was a huge part of my life for nine years." (She joined
the cast in the second season.) "Yet I was ready to move on."
She moved quickly. She'll resurface in December in a Sci Fi Channel
miniseries, The Triangle. The sets for JAG had barely been struck when
she was on her way to South Africa for a three-month shoot.
Now that's she's back, she's shopping for a new series, preferably a
sitcom. "I would hesitate doing another one-hour drama. It's such a
commitment, so many hours. I have a 2-year-old now, so sitcoms and
movies are what I'm shooting for."
If she has to make a choice, she can always flip a coin.
Copyright =A9 2005, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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