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.
There are so many ridiculous sitcoms that CBS could have canceled. I loved The Unit and the cast was fantastic! I’m very disappointed. Terrible decision-making on the part of CBS!
One more season and it would have come into its own. I guess it was to patriotic for the net work.
Love the UNIT, The problem I believe is that fact that it was constantly being changed from different days of the week and if you know the viewership is 55, then quit putting it on at 10:00pm est. It was a show that my whole family looked forward to watching. Move it back to a earlier time on TV and move half the garbage reality shows and other smut shows to the later hours, this was a great TV show about honor and patriotism – a show I wanted my kids to watch and they learned a greater respect for… Read more »
Have only recently started watching The Unit as it has just started running on Bravo here in the UK. We’re halfway through season two now. Its such a great show so I looked on IMDB to see how far behind we were (the UK always gets US shows a few seasons behind) and I find out it has been canclled. I’m stunned – I just can’t understand why! It is a great show, loads of action, a decent story line. It keeps me entertained and I am pleased that I can see every episode as it runs weeknights at 8pm… Read more »
What is wrong with television today? Have the time I read while the TV is on. There is nothing but garbage on. The Unit was provacative, intelligent, realistic and my husband and I loved that there was something for everyone on this show. The sitcoms you have on today are pure garbage. Networks listen to the people what they want, not what you want.
This was one of the best shows on TV and one of the few I actually made time to watch. Very disappointing that it has been canceled, just one less good show to watch now. Probably replace it with some sorry reality show or some worthless comedy sitcom.
I’ll 699th the comments here. Cruel joke on all of us.
BRING BACK THE UNIT.
Wow…. Never watched and will never watch a “reality” show, as that moniker is rather a bit oxymoron-ic. Whatever contrived jibberish they manufacture surely can’t have anything to do with real life. Unlike the Unit, which was at least a glimpse into military operations. Similar types of operations that exist in the “real” world. The Unit was a quality program and CBS did it no justice by all the time-slot hopping it put the show through. CBS needs to get better in touch with its audience…. perhaps they are, and it is just the audience that has been dumbed down… Read more »
this is unbeliveable i loved watching the unit just utter shock
cbs should finnish what they started by doing one last season to finnish what they started
I will actually stop watching CBS until the big wigs get their crap together and keep good shows on air. It is unbelievable that CBS would cancel such a great show. And by the way Im 33 and not 55 like the average viewer and still love this show. Please CBS get your stuff together and put this show back on air.
I cannot believe THE UNIT is off the air. This show always left me waiting to see the next episode. It is one of the few great TV shows. What a mistake! Just one more time the average persons wants get kicked to the curb.
My spouse and I not being military, found The Unit to be most eye opening on the subject of special ops. Its avoided in todays’ current military conversations – along with Blackwater and whoever else works “over there”. This show is not total reality (true sense of word) but far truer than what any of us get, except for gritty NPR correspondent reports – which can turn a stomach. Why remove what we need – to the news given us by the coat and ties of the pentagon? This is an intensely strong show that leaves you thinking. I commend… Read more »
I am so shocked to hear that the unit is being canceled. My husband and I always looked forward to this show. I have watched it since the begining and became more involved every show. We are not in our 50’s either. For once there was a tv show like the unit on that was not some realty show or forisnic (sp) crap. I really wish you would reconsider not cancelling this great show.
With television programing going in the direction it is, I’m am renewing my library card.
The least CBS can do is bring it back and finish what they started. They left so many things hanging. My husband now have NOTHING to watch on Sunday nights. This was a smart, exciting, well-written show. I feel like I have lost some of my family.