NCIS spin-off
In 2003, the series spawned the spin-off NCIS in a two-part episode in which Rabb is accused of the murder of Lt. Singer. The two episodes, titled “Ice Queen” and “Meltdown,” focused on the NCIS team, with the JAG regulars as supporting characters. Whereas the JAG episodes were primarily oriented on courtroom drama, NCIS is more focused on the field criminal investigations. NCIS also follows a different storytelling format than JAG, emphasizing character humor more than its parent program.
To date, two characters from JAG have appeared on NCIS: Patrick Labyorteaux reprised his role of Bud Roberts in the episode “Hung Out to Dry”, while recurring guest star Alicia Coppola appeared in her JAG role of Lt. Cmdr. Faith Coleman in several episodes.
The two-part JAG episode in which the NCIS cast were introduced was later rebroadcast as a regular episode of NCIS, although it was not included in the subsequent Season 1 DVD box set release.
