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.
The Unit, once in never out, is the best show ever!
Why is CBS not smarter? It’s a succes in Belgium !!!
I too am totally shocked to hear that CBS has again cancelled and show that I loved. I don’t know who is staffing their department who makes these decisions, but they must be brainless idiots completely out of touch with reality. The Unit is one of the best shows that has been on network TV for as long as I can remember. I never missed it. I was so connected to the characters and their lives that when they cried, I cried. The shows that CBS keep are senseless, no plot shows that no one with any intelligence wants to… Read more »
My husband and I love The Unit and are extremely disappointed in it’s cancellation. There is too much reality crap on tv anymore and it was good having something that kept you on the edge of your seat and looking forward to the next episode. CBS ought to be ashamed for canceling another good one! Pooh on you!
Wya to go CBS. Let’s add another CSI or NCIS instead of keeping a good show that’s just not the same as the rest in a different city! Put The Unit back on weeknights along with the original NCIS. That was a BEST night of TV week after week!!!!!!!
MAybe if they would have left it at it’s original weekday time slot if would have done better instead of moving it to Sunday night after football!
I virtually “live” for Sunday evenings so as to view “The Unit”. At age 58, I have viewed thousands of TV shows, none of which would hold a candle to the quality of “The Unit”. I bragged about the show to everyone i met: thusly gaining more and more of an audience base. Whoever has the “FINAL” decision on whether the show lives or dies, would make a monumental error in judgement should he/she NOT renew it for the upcoming 2009-2010 season. PLEASE renew “The Unit” for yet another season giving it another day/time slot. Your time and consideration would… Read more »
I’m only 28 and I look forward to the unit every night. It’s the only show that I care if I even missed watching . on cbs. I was looking forward to when it came back for the next season and to hear that it’s not going to come back is a huge disppointment.
This is a joke… The only show that I watch. I can’t believe that CBS is that stupid!
“The Unit: CBS Cancels Dennis Haysbert Series, No Season Five!”
CBS Cares……… About themselves……..
CBS SUCKS, The unit does not, its a great program
Again CBS does it . A great show for every one gone because of so called lack of profit . Sure CBS has to make the ever golden bottom line number , every company has to make a profit . But as my old daddy use to tell me ” PIGS GET FAT AN HOGS GET BUTCHERED” Think about it CBS.
What a total disappointment! Once again, the brains (and I use that term very loosely) at the network cancel one of the best shows on their network. Instead they fill their schedule with profanity laced shows filled with sexual suggestive situations or crime “dramas” in which man’s inhumanity to man is showcased. More and more often I find myself watching movies or reading books instead of watching network and/or satellite television. It appears that the network executives that are making these decisions are totally misreading their viewers. When ratings drop, they go for the shock / vulgar / nudity (as… Read more »
What a shame that this show was cancelled. This was a show we looked forward to seeing. I would rather go rent a movie than watch most of the shows that remain on this network. I spend my viewing hours on USA network and rented movies. Put that in your ratings!
This is a huge disappointment…
CBS – this is another major disappointment… NUTS to you! That’s strike 2… one more, and I give up on you.
I have been waiting for this show to come back on… and now to find out it has been cancelled i a huge disappointment! Why is it that the networks have to fill all the good viewing times with crap reality shows, and push the good ones to sunday night. On top of that, why did cold case always run late and mess up the scheduled time of the unit? I agree with one of the other posts, put the unit back to prime time mid-week, and watch the numbers go back up. Hopefully another station will pick it up,… Read more »