There’s another casualty on network TV. CBS’ military drama, The Unit, has been cancelled after four seasons on the air.
The Unit revolves around an elite military unit and their civilian loved ones. The series features the talents of Dennis Haysbert, Regina Taylor, Audrey Marie Anderson, Robert Patrick, Max Martini, Abby Brammell, Michael Irby, Scott Foley, Demore Barnes, Alyssa Shafer, Danielle Hanratty, Kavita Patil, and Rebecca Pidgeon.
Created by acclaimed director and writer David Mamet, the series debuted in mid-season 2006. An average audience of 15.5 million viewers ensured a second season for the drama but year two didn’t go as well, attracting 11.1 million viewers. The show has continued to decline in the ensuing years and season four has averaged an audience of 9.67 million. Though the overall viewership isn’t too low, the series does skew older. The average age of The Unit’s viewership is about 55.
The series has been “on the bubble” for awhile and many took it as a bad sign when showrunner Shawn Ryan signed on to helm FOX’s Lie to Me. Ryan however maintained that he would continue on both shows if The Unit was renewed. He’d previously performed double duty while working concurrently on The Unit and The Shield.
 Loading ... |
Like most of the networks’ actions these days, the decision to renew or cancel came down to finances. CBS had asked for all of its shows to reduce their budgets. The Unit is actually already cheaper to produce than it looks. Shot primarily in Southern California, it costs less than $3 million per episode to produce. That’s about half as expensive as other primetime dramas.
A couple weeks ago, Haysbert told the LA Times that he was unsure if he wanted the show to come back if it meant making too many creative and salary concessions. He said, “There are a number of factors that go into whether I want it back or not. It’s been a great ride and, if I don’t work with these people again, I’ll certainly play golf with them.”
In an age when the networks and studios have to watch every dollar, they’ve all been favoring renewing shows that are created by sister or in-house production companies. Since 20th Century Fox TV produces the show, the network wouldn’t benefit if the show went into syndication.
Prior to the cancellation news, Gary Newman, chairman of The Unit’s studio, said, “For the CBS viewer, this show is unique. The audience may not be huge, but there’s going to be enormous disappointment if it goes off and it’s replaced with one more procedural or forensics show.”
Image courtesy CBS.
The Unit was one of the best shows on TV! This SUCKS that CBS cancelled a good show and left us to watch more crap!
This was one of the most realalistic shows on TV I looked foward to each episode. Bring the show back!!!
Like GM or Chrysler, CBS has deluded itself into thinking that it knows what people want. Your data must be correct, yes? All of your brilliant people and their marketing pedigrees cannot be wrong, could they? Come on, with all of the smart folks trying to keep CBS out in front, is there one in authority with the moxie to not be a yes-person to the moronic minds bringing silliness like “The Good Wife”? “The Unit” was actually relevant; and rallied people around its truth that bad people want us dead and good people are preventing it from occurring. So… Read more »
The Unit actually replaced “24” as my favorite TV show for all time and I never thought that possible. I simply don’t understand the idiocy behind CBS’ decisions. This is a program we wait for all week long to come on and when it’s on we are glued to the set for an hour. In today’s attention deficit society that says a lot! This show is levels above most of the predictable crap on TV these days. Most of the programming nowadays is junk at best. FINALLY a decent, intelligent, and patriotic show comes along and you want to cancel… Read more »
ABSOLUTE INSANITY! One of the best shows on TV today and they cancel it. This is crazy. CBS, what are you thinking? This is the one show I would refuse to miss, NO MATTER WHAT, and you in your infinate wisdom ends the show. What group of people where in the decision making meeting that day? This is like all the CEO’s with companies in the tank because of poor decisions and leadership. Your first mistake was moving it from Tuesday to Sunday. Second mistake was changing the time. Third and final mistake was taking it off the air. My… Read more »
It is impossible to say how stupid CBS is for dropping this show. With all the other garbage on t.v they decide to drop the best show on t.v. Having 3 C.S.I’s wasn’t pouring enough “agency” material down our throats, now we have another NCIS. Wait! Let’s throw another 50 idiots on t.v doing things like trying to find a wife or husband, cause we all know we can’t do that without a t.v crew. Or stick em in a house together for a while and see what happens, or see how stupid they can look to win some money.… Read more »
It is very disappointing to see one of the best shows on tv has been cancelled. I have been a loyal fan for all four seasons and looked forward to each episode. Bad move CBS!!!
A really great series that made you proud to be an American. This show has real weight to it. I guess they needed more “fluff” stuff to appeal to small minds. I believe the writers strike was a big cause of several good shows losing audiences. We vote to give it one more season on a better night to prove how many people liked it.
I am really disappointed that The Unit has been canceled! I am retired Army and looked forward each week for the show to be on. I have to admit to recording on the DVR and I guess that does not count for ratings, sorry guys. It is hard to be home every night a show is on and if it was one of your favs…and you have a DVR?
Great show!! One of the few times that I looked foward to watching television. I think CBS canceled one of their best shows.
It is a big disappointment to see this show cancelled. I knew it was in trouble when it went from Thurs night to Sunday night. You wonder why the ratings are down, put any show on that late on Sunday night and I can show you poor rating. As for the age group, only retired military personnel who do not have to work on Mondays are awake at that time on Sundays to watch the show. Put it back on Tues, Wed, or Thurs at 9pm est and you will have a younger and bigger audiance. I myself am ex-Army… Read more »
The Unit was one of those shows we never missed. It was definitely a favorite and was very well done. It’s a shame that one of the best shows CBS has is not going to be renewed. So many of the shows on CBS are not worth watching, so I guess we’ll be looking at other networks in the future.
Too bad for them. Bad decision!!!!
You stupid ********. What a colossal mistake.
CBS I will never watch your network again! I watched this show with my entire family and theres 6 of us, we would all crowd around the room and grab part of the couch on a Sunday night and enjoy it. The age reference they said is bull! Im 16 and love the show, the characters, everything about it. It opened my eyes to many things, in a good way. A show that can do that above all other shows surely shouldnt be one to be cancelled. As an inside joke in our family everyone took on a name in… Read more »
CBS I will never watch ur network again
Why do the only good shows get cancelled? Me and my whole family wait every week for the new episodes. The adverage age group is not 55. We love the characters, theme of the show and message it sends. Please don’t cancel this show. It is really the ONLY show we look forward to watching. We DON’T need more boring forensic shows, cops shows or lawyer shows.