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.
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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.
wow! I can’t believe they cancelled it! i love this show! its one of the few shows that my whole family will watch. CBS please bring it back…or if not at least don’t replace it with another reality show or police drama!
The Unit is one of the best shows that CBS had on television and for them to cancel it made me upset. This show was one show that the whole family agreed on. What is CBS thinking about bring The Unit back.
I agree with everyone on this, CBS has made a huge mistake, my wife and I watch the show religously, we aren’t 55 years old, we thought is was the best show on TV period. Even my 19 year old son thought it was the best. Why would CBS agree to bring back a show like Jericho after pressure from viewers and not keep The Unit? The problem with the fall in viewership was not the show, it was the time slot, 10:00pm on Sundays, after the NFL plays the show often came on at 10:30 or later, on the… Read more »
I went online to see when season 5 would start and it is extremely dissapointing to know that this show is cancelled. The show was great and it portrayed the military life like no other show. My wife and I watched this show and bought the seasons and we are not 55 years old. We are both 26 and right now we are both talking about it and pissed. CBS needs to find a way to continue this show because it is better than the stupid realitiy shows and other idiotic shows.
what is wrong with cbs they have made a BIG BIG mistake this time. The Unit was by far the best show on tv period! My question is how do they really know how many watch it nobody ask me or the other 50 or so people I know that watch it. Its all BULLS$@#T.
Just went online to find out when the next season of the Unit started… ^!%@$&^!#$ I LIKED that show!!! Doesn’t make any sense to me at all! Any other stations with sense out there want to pick it up for renewal?
The last of the real “action” /Drama show that was left !!
Whoever decided to cancel the show should be “strapped to a chair and made to watch so called “Reality shows” 4 ever !!
Worst mistake CBS has ever made !!!!!!!!!!
All of the “UNIT” fans should boycott CBS and never watch that network again !!
Man this show was the best one on TV. Maybe if they would of shown more commercials or broadcast it more it would have had more hits. Good to know that the shows people like to watch are getting cut while those dumb soap opera’s can stay on along with the retarded reality shows.
one of the best shows on tv it gives the american people a sense of security to know that there are armed forces protecting us always no sadistic violence with draculas and monsters this is reality
My wife and I loved that show and very disappointed by CBS decision to cancel it. Well, it’s not the end of the world, and I am pretty much sure, that some other station and their advertisers will appreciate 11 million viewers and more (if the the time spot is right).
I am very dissapointed thatCBShas caneled The Unit, the best show on TV. I’ve been searching all summer to find reruns and only found it once on a Saturday night. The next Saturday, it was not on. I cannot understand why networks keep “crummy” shows like The New Adventures of Old Christine(give up on her having a hit show.) and cancel shows like The Unit that have a story and great cast. I hope you will reconsider and run The Unit this season.
This was a top five program. Viewership dropped because of the time slot. There isn’t a worse time slot than 10 something on Sunday night. I promise you there is nothing on CBS worth watching on either Thursday or Friday night primetime. I think CBS has a problem showing any program that puts a posstive view point on the military. PS: NCIS is a good show but it’s not a military show, it’s a show that revolves around cizilian DOD investigators. Most of their shows revolves around investigating the crimial element of the military. That doesn’t exactly put the Navy… Read more »
I think that this is a joke!! This show is the only show that my family watches on TV. the reason is because everything else is crap, it is no good. So what if you are short a few dollars…. Do what makes your viewers happy and that is keeping THE BEST TV show on the air!!!!
If you want to cut costs and watch your budgets,try loosing some shows that deserve to be cancelled like CSI Miami,the worst show on tv now or the Gost Wisperer or even worse than that, The new adventures of old Christine,now that’s a waste of money show!! There is enough for your budget to run a great show,(The Unit) for 3 more years! This is the best advice anyone could ever give you.Plus you could give the Unit a better time slot,the first year when there ratings were at there best,they were in a prime time slot!!! Common sense!!!
You make me so mad that I am seriously thinking of not watching anything on CBS again even though you just started my 2nd fav show “Medium”,I’m tempted 2 ban CBS in my house.Try putting it in a time frame where it actually plays in the time frame its suppose 2 instead of 40 mins late due to other shows running in the Units time!!! Fix this or loose a lot of people,like 11mill plus fans of the Unit!!