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.
CBS, typical of the brain trust in the major networks today, seems to enjoy canceling shows that are enjoyable to watch (for all the reasons given in the previous comments) for such garbage as these reality shows which we do not watch. Thank goodness we have other cable networks to watch as well as some outstanding programming on non-big three networks. With the proliferation of the mindless reality shows on the big networks, which I view as the dumbing down of American TV, we have gravitated to watching more cable networks, buying British series programming, and increasing our reading novels.… Read more »
I wondered what happen to the show ….What a dumb decision!!!!!!!!!!! Iwas great change compared to lack of imagination of the networks! Who can only compete by repeating what the competion creates such as CSI’s, Reality show’s(that aren’t)etc. Maybe a boycot of CBS advertisers would wake them up.
they’re all a bunch of monkeys, the unit is amazing and everyone loves it, the plans for season 5 sound great too. i agree with michael, give it a decent air time and date (prime time) and more ppl will watch it. Airing it at times when less people are watching tele obviously means ratings will go down, how stupid are CBS, no common sense, the unit was the best thing to happen to TV, bring it back!!!!!!
Thats te only reason i watch regular Tv it was the best show ever. I guess I’ll go back to cable!
The dumbest thing I’ve heard in a long time.They keep crap like Amazing Race and Survivor and cancel one of the best shows in television history.Their philosophy is if the audience likes it,it has to go!!Bring it back and give it a good early prime time slot and the ratings will go up.
I wrote comments the first time this show was axed, and the execs at CBS obviously don’t take the audience seriously.How many times must we ask that this show be brought back?
If The Unit was given a decent time slot CBS would have more of the die hard fans that are
writing in to defend this show. At least give us a few episodes to finish off the storyline…
we deserve that at least.
I am truly disappointed to hear that The Unit has been cancelled!! I can’t believe it looses out stupid Reality Shows!
It is clear that cheap reality shows are more important than good dramas with good actors!!
Dear CBS Executives, While the world exists in reality, your idea of “reality” does not exist in the world. “Survivor”?? Let’s get real. How many of us will actually be marooned with a bunch of other folks in some far away place and have to compete (and win) at a bunch of games to stay with the group? And by the way, how do you get an immediate free ride home, after losing games, if you’re really marooned? Remind me to make my travel plans through you for my next vacation, please? “Big Brother”??? (I always thought that was something… Read more »
Once again CBS has failed the consumer’s interest in keeping an entertaining show. Although not entirely accurate in depicting military issues, the Unit depicts patriotism and honor at its best while portraying human elements or faults. A loss for TV views and I hope loss ratings for CBS. The wife and I plan to boycott CBS. POOR DECISION MAKING!
CBS SUCKS!!!!! My husband and I can not believe this, WHY? There are so many forensic, medical junk t.v. shows out there, the Unit was one of a kind. I’m really dissappointed in CBS this came as a shock . CBS wake up and pull your head out of your !!! Maybe a movie deal will happen with some of the same actors???
It seems that shows that keep you interested week after week are thrown away like dirty napkins! The UNIT was one of my favorites and I am now very upset that it was cancelled! Dennis Haysbert and his cast were real, informative about military missions and should never have been axed! The same thing happened with “Deadwood” on HBO. The writing of the show plus the presentation of the performers was as good as any show I have ever watched…and that number is huge! Noted that the language was salty but it was a period piece and Ian’s soliliquies were… Read more »
too bad for cbs – they have lost a lot of fans. hope to see hbo or showtime pick it up, would gladly get either for The Unit. i would marry each and every one of you – my husband says, good luck with that.
we need to make a season 5 it was the only show i watched every week i will go back watching HBO to make cbs ratings fall and fall and fall because of there decision millitary is the life of people in this country its patriotic i guess cbs is part of the comminist they are not american
Bring back the unit, because it was the best show on TV. I hope you all didn’t cancel it to make room for another reality show.
Unbelievable! As many have said before… there’s nothing like it on TV. CBS… why?