It's been nearly 3 years since CBS Home Video released the 10th and final season of JAG, and now they've bundled everything up into an attractive complete series set, including a bonus disc featuring new material. JAG was a popular show, running from 1995 to 2005, and a very successful spinoff (NCIS), which has its own spinoff as well (NCIS: Los Angeles). Though it ran for 10 seasons, the show had already finished airing before the first season hit DVD in the summer of 2006. CBS released 2 seasons a year most years, with 3 coming in 2008, and the final set in 2010. That's a pretty good release schedule, but it shouldn't be surprising to anyone that visits this site on a regular basis; JAG was one of the most-requested shows on the site, and still sits in the 4th spot overall. Very impressive.
The Packaging
I love it! This reminds me a little bit of the West Wing set that Warner Bros released a few years ago, probably because of how clean and "official" it looks. The set has a white middle, with navy blue on either side, and a logo in the middle. The top of the case has officer stripes on either side, though I don't think they're for an actual rank, which are held onto the white part of the case with a sturdy snap. Unsnap those and the two navy sections fall to the side, allowing you to flip open the white part of the case to expose the guts - 10 individual cases holding each of the 10 seasons, and each one featuring a photo of a different character, and the "Insider's Manual." These are cardboard cases with sleeves to hold each disc, and they aren't a tight fit, so I hope scratching won't occur.
I've seen magnets used on DVD sets before, but JAG has the best use of magnets yet. The JAG logo that you see in the middle of the set is held on by magnets, and removing it exposes the JAG challenge coin that comes with the set. It's a really clever way to hide the coin; I love it.
The Material
All 10 seasons, and 227 episodes of the show are on 55 discs in this set, with a 56th disc containing new, exclusive bonus material. Here's a look at the new material in the set (previous bonus material can be found on the regular discs):
The Jagged Edge (44:00)
This 7-part featurette does a great job of covering the entire series, featuring interviews with a lot of cast and crew. Excellent stuff.
JAG: Beyond the Scenes (18:41)
Join Julie Moran as she goes behind-the-scenes of JAG, shot for the first season of the show.
Archival Materials (10:40)
A few video clips for the show:
Season 5 publicity material (5:21)
Promos (1:42)
Entertainment Tonight Clips (3:37)
Insider's Manual
This is a very, very nice book that comes in the set. It serves as an episode guide for the show, but also contains information on the characters, histories of the show & fighter jets, plus it has a chart of the JAG divisions, information on the navy and marine ranks, and a guide to military parlance. It's also packed with photos from the show, which fans should love.
To Upgrade, or Not to Upgrade?
This set is definitely a deal for those that don't own the previously-released season sets. The retail price of this set is roughly $200, and buying the individual 10 seasons would be just under $250, so it's a no-brainer to get this set. The problem is for those that already own all 10 seasons, and this is never an easy decision to make. If you sell your current DVDs, I think you'd be lucky to get $100 for them, so you'd have to toss in another $100 to get this set. The bonus disc is great, and delivers just over an hour of material that's either new (shot for the set), or hard to find. The packaging for the set is very nice - definitely one of the better-designed packages I've seen for a complete series set. But, is all that worth paying the $200 for the complete series set? It will be for some, but the price will be too high for others.
I think CBS Home Video did an excellent job putting this set together. It's an attractive package with some interesting new content. If you have a JAG fan on your Christmas list, this is a set they'll love to receive.
