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.
C’mon CBS — this is one of the absolute best series I have ever, ever enjoyed. Clever, creative, and well done! I kept waiting to hear when the new season would start, finally decided to look The Unit up on the internet, and I find this? Extremely disappointed! Please, please, please reconsider! This was a fantastic cast and so relevant in our post 9/11 world!
I know that this is a business, but it is seriously flawed to allow this show to go off the air and allow the junk that lasts a year or two just because it is titilating for the quick buck. This was (hopefully is) one of the better shows CBS has created and Haybert is a winner with this great cast around him! Please put something back on tv that I can watch again. I’m missing my hour of entertainment, just passing time waiting for this show to return. Oprah, Martha, Dr. Phil, My Antonio, and all of the other… Read more »
This is a huge disappointment for me. this is the only show on TV that makes me want to stop everything and turn on the boob tube. There are just some shows that should last season after season. If I could stand outside studio’s and protest I would. I hate when a great show goes off air for what I see as no good reason. We (the fans) should write and insist, no demand that this sure to be classic TV show be put back on the air!
Well, I’m not one of the “seniors” yet, but my family looked forward to the show each week. I too am tired of all of the reality TV and looked forward to the shows continued story. I am very disappointed in the cancellation and wish CBS would bring it back. Great while it lasted. Dennis Haysbert and the boys plus 1 gal….are studs!
This was one of the best shows CBS has ever put on the air. I don’t know why it was cancelled. Our family is very disappointed. The Unit was one of the very few shows our family would drop everything for, sit down, and watch. Please reconsider and bring it back.
I have waited all summer for the Unit to come back on this fall! I honesly could not wait to see the Unit. The guys were family to each other and care even more for their famlies. Like others, I too was tired of watching reality shows, game shows, and soforth. It is hard to find a program on tv where you are not in someones real life drama. Yes, I am one of the older folks that enjoyed watching the Unit, I am 59. However, age should not have a say into what we as seniors should watch or… Read more »
The Unit was a great show. It seems that every station tries to line up there best detective show against the other networks show, same for action adventure etc, then kill it because they did not get the most viewers, when in fact if the shows were run at any other day or time they would get the most viewers. I mean what couldn’t beat the reality shows, the same old sit-coms, or the hospital drama/soap. I enjoy the CSI, NCIS, 11th Hour (gone), and The Mentalist, but at the top of the list was The Unit. I have the… Read more »
I, too, am over 55, and looked forward to watching The Unit on Sunday nights. Sorry for the idiotic decision on the part of CBS. I don’t watch CBS very much but this was a good show.
WTF!!! can’t belive this, why would they cancel such a great show. I will not be watching cbs on Sunday nights!
There are very few shows that aren’t reality, sit-coms or games. I think that The Unit was the best program on the air! So what, if older people watch it. We spend money too.
We are alive, and we do still count!!!
all shows are alike these days, this was the only unique one worth watching
C BS is notorious for cancelling all their best shows, just look at Jericho. Amazingly enough, NCIS is actually the most popular show on TV right now, just too bad it can’t be on a better channel. CBS used to be my grandparent’s favorite channel, but just when they were starting to be mine, they pull a bonehead move like this. Oh well, there’s always the premium channels…
Please bring back the Unit. My husband and I looked forward to it every week. It was a refreshing change from all the other dramas.
Let’s see – a show based on an elite military unit; target audience probably adult male, very likely older than 25; viewing audience went down when they put it up against NBC’s Sunday night football. DUH! Is CBS run by idiots, or what? Put it up against a loser show like Dateline and it will kick butt. I think it would even hold its own against Jay Leno. Too late now. Maybe they can move NCIS into that time slot and kill it, too. Maybe if they lose enough viewers and lose enough money the government will bail them out.
I only watched CBS for the Unit. It was the best show on TV. It sickens me that they blame the demographic. Like us 55ers don’t spend as much money as 25ers? Much more! Anyway, I dream about a premium channel (no commercials) that continues to create what I call Persuasive Milrama — convincing military drama — such as Unit, and that great show, also cancelled, about the terrorist cell infiltrated by american muslim fbi agent with lousy hander,