Spoilers ahead for the Season 10 finale of NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS. If you haven't caught the episode yet, feel free to check out some of our non-spoilery articles until you have the chance to tune in.
NCIS: Los Angeles delivered a treat to longtime franchise fans with the Season 10 finale, and not just because the episode ended on another classic NCIS: LA cliffhanger. It marked the first episode of any show in the NCIS franchise to feature both former JAG stars in some capacity. David James Elliott and Catherine Bell reprised their roles as Harm and Mac, respectively, for the first time since 2005 for the end of NCIS: LA Season 10, and the JAG reunion will continue. Here's how.
No, CBS did not already order the rumored JAG revival series, although JAG coming back via a backdoor pilot on the spinoff of its own original spinoff would certainly bring the franchise full circle. Despite fan fears that Season 10 was going to be the end for NCIS: LA, the show scored a renewal for Season 11, and Digital Spy reports Catherine Bell and David James Elliot are contracted to appear in the first two episodes of Season 11.
Considering how the NCIS: LA Season 10 finale handled Harm and Mac, I'm guessing JAG fans everywhere are happy to learn that there will be more from those characters before they bow out again. Harm actually returned in the penultimate episode, and he didn't explain what happened between him and Mac, although it was clear that they weren't physically together. Mac turned up in the finale, and she dropped a bombshell reveal that answered a longstanding JAG question.
As fans undoubtedly remember, JAG ended with Harm and Mac flipping a coin, with the intent that one of them would give up their job with the Navy so they could get engaged and live a happily-ever-after together. Mac won the toss, and Harm passed on a JAG job in London to join Mac in San Diego. Sadly for their love story, Harm needed to get back to the fight, and they split. As of the Season 10 finale, they hadn't seen each other in nine years.
Mac wasn't bitter when she shared the story, as sometimes things "just don't work out." For her part, Hetty suggested that the final chapter of Harm and Mac's story together isn't written yet. Hey, if JAG gets a revival, the final chapter could be stretched out into a series rather than resolved in two episodes this fall!
Harm and Mac didn't physically reunite in the NCIS: LA Season 10 finale, but they spotted each other via a video call while Mac was at NCIS HQ in Los Angeles and Harm was at sea with Sam and Callen. Was it awkward? Yes. Was it so painfully awkward that it felt like there was no possible future between them? Definitely not. Harm told Mac she looked great, and Mac smiled and commented that life at sea suits him. There are still sparks!
Hopefully Mac and Harm get to actually reunite in person when they return for NCIS: Los Angeles Season 11 in the fall. At this point, it seems David James Elliott and Catherine Bell are only slated for the first two episodes of Season 11, but details are scarce. Season 10 did only just end, after all.
All three NCIS series were renewed for the 2019-2020 TV season, although CBS took its time in making the big announcement for Los Angeles and New Orleans compared to the earlier pickup of NCIS. The good news is that there are plenty of viewing options even after the NCIS shows head into their hiatuses; the bad news for diehard NCIS fans is that they'll have to settle for some series that feature less crimes involving the Navy.
