Bud Roberts

This is an overview of the regular and recurring characters of long-running series JAG.

Note: All ranks are those shown or stated by the end of the series.

Played by David James Elliott.

A naval aviator who became a JAG lawyer after being diagnosed with night blindness. His father was shot down over Vietnam and was listed as MIA, with Harm's attempts to find him forming the plots of several episodes. He became strong friends with Major (eventually Lieutenant Colonel) Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie, USMC, and their relationship grew through the years. Throughout the series the pair acknowledged that they were in love with each other, without it developing into a relationship. In the series finale, Harm and Mac became engaged to be married and toss a coin to decide who would accept a new assignment (Harm in London, Mac in San Diego) and who would resign their commission to follow the coin-toss winner. The series ended with the coin still in the air. Harm was promoted three times during the series' run, being first introduced in the pilot episode as a lieutenant and ending with the rank of captain in the second to last episode. Harm was a lieutenant commander and commander for most of the series' run.

Harm reappears in the final two episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles season 10 and the first episode of season 11. It is revealed here that while he lost the coin toss and resigned his JAG commission, he later re-enlisted after breaking off his engagement with Mac. At some point after returning to the Navy, he was promoted to captain and returned to active duty as a line officer, serving as the executive officer on the fictional aircraft carrier the USS Allegiance.

Played by Tracey Needham. Season 1.

Introduced in the second episode, Austin was Rabb's second partner for most of the first season, replacing LT JG Caitlin Pike from the pilot movie. She was known to be skilled in computers and fluent in Spanish. Needham left the series after season one, and her character was replaced in the following season by Major Sarah MacKenzie.

Played by Catherine Bell.

A Marine lawyer, who later became chief of staff under Chegwidden and Cresswell, partnered with "Harm" and became his best friend and constantly dealt with "whatever" it was between the two of them. "Mac" had the gift of gab and great tenacity in the courtroom for justice but somehow always had trouble with the men in her life. She had a terrible childhood with her abusive alcoholic father and a mother who abandoned her on her 15th birthday. She suffered from alcoholism but sobered up and joined the Marine Corps at age 19. She dealt with her past in the season 4 episodes "Mr. Rabb Goes to Washington," "People v. Mac," and "Second Sight". For three seasons, Mac was a major. She was promoted once in the series' run from major to lieutenant colonel. She was also promoted from JAG lawyer to JAG chief of staff, the second in command under Chegwidden and later Cresswell. Until the series finale, she was senior to Harm by two months.

Played by Patrick Labyorteaux.

Originally an ensign in charge of public affairs on board the USS Seahawk, who appeared in the pilot episode, Bud later becomes a JAG lawyer. He has a younger brother, Mikey (Michael Bellisario), who had aspirations of being an artist before enlisting in the Navy and qualifying as a radar and gunnery technician, then being accepted into the Naval Academy as a midshipman. They had a complex relationship with their father, "Big Bud" Sr. (Jeff MacKay), a retired Master Chief, who was borderline abusive when they were children, perhaps due to the strain of having to raise them himself after the death of their mother. He mentioned having a sister named "Winnifred" or "Winnie" in season 2, but she is never shown. He loses his right leg when he accidentally steps on a landmine in Afghanistan during the season 7 finale, but goes through rehabilitation and is allowed to stay in the Navy. Bud is promoted three times during the series' run: first from ensign to lieutenant junior grade, second from lieutenant junior grade to lieutenant, and lastly from lieutenant to lieutenant commander. Both Harm and Mac ask Bud to join them in their new commands after being reassigned across the world in the series finale; Bud politely turns them down because his wife wants him and their family to stay in the D.C. area, but he is also present at the Mac and Harm's engagement party during the final scene of the series, flipping the coin that will decide who quits their job to join the other.

Played by John M. Jackson, Season 1–9, 193 episodes.

He was a no-nonsense, gruff CO and former Navy SEAL but always had his "people's" back. When he announced his retirement, the JAG staffers were leg