Former 'JAG' star joins legal drama

LOS ANGELES -- Ex-"JAG" star David James Elliott is making his way back to CBS, landing in the very same timeslot where he was last seen.

The actor is joining the cast of the legal drama "Close to Home," which begins its second season in the fall. He'll play a New York prosecutor who moves to suburban Indianapolis to work with Annabeth Chase (Jennifer Finnigan) and Maureen Scofield (Kimberly Elise), according to The Hollywood Reporter.

He is in effect replacing John Carroll Lynch, who played DA Steve Sharpe last season but is leaving the show. Christian Kane, whose character died in the season finale, is gone as well.

Elliott starred as Harmon "Harm" Rabb on "JAG" for 10 seasons (one on NBC, nine on CBS). The show was a long-time rock on CBS' schedule, drawing solid viewership in multiple timeslots. It ended its run on Friday nights, in the same 9 p.m. timeslot "Close to Home" now occupies.

Following "JAG's" end Elliott signed a development deal with Touchstone TV and ABC, which resulted in the pilot "Sixty Minute Man" earlier this year. He played a man who can't account for an hour of each day, leading him to wonder if he's part of a conspiracy. ABC opted not to pick up the show.

His other credits include "Knots Landing," last year's Lifetime movie "The Stranger I Married" and guest spots on "Melrose Place," "Seinfeld" and "Medium."