Today certainly wasn’t a good day for fans of The Unit. CBS cancelled the show after four seasons on the air. For producers of the series however, today’s dark cloud also had a silver lining.
Though there won’t be any new episodes featuring Dennis Haysbert, Regina Taylor, Robert Patrick, Scott Foley and company, the show will return to the airwaves next year.
The show’s studio, 20th Century TV, announced today that the military drama has been sold in syndication. According to the Hollywood Reporter, The Unit has been cleared in 56% of the country, including Fox and CBS stations. It’s sold in all 15 of the top markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Dallas.
Because only 69 episodes have been produced, the stations are likely to run episodes only once or twice a week. While several series have been saved recently because of potential syndication profits, there’s seemingly no interest in continuing The Unit. This likely stems from the fact that hour-long dramas aren’t as popular in syndication as half-hour sitcoms.
The series launches into syndication beginning in the Fall of 2010.
Image courtesy CBS.
Politics has nothing to do with it. Really good shows are canceled every year, no matter who’s in power. The problem is that the networks have failed to adapt to DVRs and other time-shifting devices, and yes, the torrents as well. People have discovered, and are discovering in increasing numbers, that they don’t have to watch the show when it’s shown. It’s on Sunday night, or Friday night — so what? I record it and watch it when I feel like it. This capability is killing the networks’ business model. Maybe they ought to go with the flow, and offer… Read more »
What isCBS thinking ? Cancel THE UNT to be replaced with another comedy / 30 min sitcom…….r u kidding me ?????? We have enough of those types of shows.
That is so upsetting. The Unit has been one of our favorite shows from its beginning. The characters are great and the story line has been very exciting.
It’s really too bad. It is one of the better shows!
No wonder the networks are going under-this is one more reason to get satellite , listen to radio more and start ordering DVD’s of old shows. You can get them quite reasonably and they are 100 % better than most of the “entertainment” offered now.
Network television is going the way of newspapers.
Come on CBS rethink this decision… This show was thought provoking and patriotic. It showed the Military in a fantastic way and was one of the best shows on the air… Please bring this one back
The Unit cancelled… That is a big mistake, CBS should have left it on it in the same time slot as before after NCIS those are two of the best shows on CBS. The Mentelist that show is silly take that one off and keep The Unit. CBS HAS LOST THEIR MINDS!!!!
Why can’t CBS poll viewers when weeding out bad shows????? A lot of 1/2 hr comedies would be gone and shows like The Unit could have been saved…
i love the unit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! bad cbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They would’ve had more viewers if they did’nt run a great show in a crappy time slot. Most people have had enough by 10:00 Sunday. It was everything I could do to stay awake!
Tom — I’m a liberal who happily voted for Obama and I love “The Unit.” The show pretty much kept politics out of it and just focused on the men and the missions. They didn’t run around torturing everyone like Jack Bauer and there was a certain sense of realism not present in other shows of its ilk. I think the show’s cancellation had more to do with its cost vs. ratings than anything else. It had nothing to do with liberals or liberal-backlash.
The Unit is a great loss. Give us back The Unit, get rid of the sitcoms. They are not funny anyway. Anything David Mamet is involved in is worth saving.
This is just another side effect of the liberals running this country. For now we apparently have to grin and bear it but I think the silent majority has about had enough. Once the sleeping giant has been awaken again the atrocities and financial problems these people create will be put down for ever. Then maybe the fact over 9 million people are watching a show will allow the free market to work as it should and NOT CANCEL THE SHOW. The cancelation of this show is just another step toward the Obomanation.
Numb3rs is the last thing left for me to watch on the network. I can’t believe they would axe The Unit. Its the only show of its kind on TV, and 9 million viewers should have been enough to prove it.
Well, that sucks….this was one of the most unique dramas in recent memory. CBS totally is off its rocker on this one, as if anything else they put in the Sunday 10pm slot is going to do better.
The Unit is the best TV show on the airwaves! What a major bummer that you have cancelled it.
There is so much crap on tv, this show was a real winner.