The titular "E-Ring" in this weekly, hour-long NBC drama series was the nickname for the outer offices of the Pentagon, where all major decisions pertaining to national security were made.
Benjamin Bratt and
Dennis Hopper respectively starred as Major Jim Tisnewski (aka JT) and Colonel McNulty, a pair of oil-and-water military officers united in top-secret government missions, foreign and domestic. A former Green Beret, Tisnewski was the gung-ho "action" guy, while the older and crabbier McNulty preferred handling the strategic end of each mission. In the tradition of
JAG, it was made obvious that, although our two heroes were faultless in their judgment on the job, they both encountered enormous difficulties keeping their private lives in order. In the development stages, Tisnewski had both a wife and child, but it was finally determined that making him a bachelor would be beneficial to the various plotlines involving attractive female guest stars. Just as "Mrs. Tisneski" was written out of the show,
Kelly Rutherford was added as the two officers' chief nemesis, Defense Department attorney Samantha "Sonny" Liston.
E-Ring premiered September 21, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide