Much to the dismay of the show’s loyal followers, The Unit was cancelled by CBS in May. The series’ viewership had declined in its later years but, despite being preempted several times, still attracted 9.67 million viewers in season four.
The Unit was supposedly being seriously considered to continue in first-run syndication but the deal didn’t work out, likely because of production costs. Sadly, while the military drama and Dennis Haysbert, Regina Taylor, Robert Patrick, and Scott Foley will be around in syndication for years to come, we won’t be seeing season five of The Unit.
It turns out that the writers had a full plan for year five which Executive Producer Shawn Ryan was expecting to be the show’s last. He pitched the storyline ideas to the CBS execs but ultimately they weren’t interested.
At the recent TCA press tour, Ryan shared with The Futon Critic what would have happened. He said, “It was going to be a whole new show in the sense that we were going to be training some young people, Bob was going to be training some people for a whole new organization. Jonas was finally going to be seeing his run end.”
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Ryan continued, “The final season was going to be, I figured the fifth season was going to be the last… It was going to be a long, sort of final mission for Jonas. He’s not medically cleared, Mac has to go in and sort of change the medical records so that Jonas can keep on [going on missions]. We had a whole thing planned, it was going to be good.”
Of the cancellation, Ryan points to CBS’ last-minute decision to save NBC’s discarded Medium series. If things had been reversed and The Unit “had been owned by Paramount and Medium had been owned by 20th Century Fox, we’d be making the fifth season of The Unit right now. I don’t know how else to say that.”
What do you think? Do the plans for season five sound like a good way for the military drama to finish?
Image courtesy CBS.
It’s heartbreaking, what a short-sighted decision. We all know that statistics can be “massaged” to suit a particular objective, but in this case they are axing a smart and in many ways an unparalleled show. Season 5 would have undoubtedly brought them higher revenues than many of their existing shows will do by the end of their respective seasons. This decision must definitely be reconsidered!
How disappointing it is to find that The Unit has been cancelled. I was so looking forward to season 5 even though haven’t watched season 4 yet. We just went out and bought all 3 seasons (haven’t found the 4th one yet) and I am addicted to the show. It is an awesome show about the special forces and what they do. I love how the family’s are close and they would do anything for each other. And how the missions get planned and the result. My fiance was in the Army and he loves this show I think being… Read more »
The only show I watched. Now I will have to excerise instead.
Bring it back CBS! Why take the best show off the air!!! Why did you replace it with the mentalist!! The unit was alot better than that show!!! You should kept it in that time slot!!!! Bing It Back!!!!!!
I cannot believe it!! This show was exciting all around. Please don’t add another doctor or ER type show!!!!
what a huge mistake CBS
This totally sucks, CBS!!!!!! The only television program I watch is The Unit!!! My husband and I loved it! Bought Seasons 1, 2 & 3 and waited all summer for Season 4 to come out to buy that too. I just looked online to see the fall schedule for the Series and then huge disappointment hit me square in the face!!! I’m truly going to miss that show, and cannot believe that other garbage remains on television constantly. What is wrong with you, CBS????
Glad my family will be in the position real soon to affect the real ratings system. I am tired of finding decent and enjoyable shows and then the moronic “network weenies” killing them. CBS will be the absolute LEAST watched (if WATCHED and recorded wink, wink) on “our /there equipment ” Time someone “screws” the ratings even further. Ah, this is going to be fun… Maybe there “educated” programmers will get the message..I doubt it…They are JUST way to stupid to give good stuff a chance and program the UNEDUCATED crap they do…( i.e. Big brother, there goes the neighborhood… Read more »
This is what happens to a show when you change it from it’s prime time spot on Tuesday at 9 p.m. to Sunday after football in america & the game. Who is going to stay up until 1a.m. on the east coast to watch probably the most action packed tv series outside of 24 which makes’ FOX the smart channel to watch. Way to go “CBS” executives.
The abrupt cancellation is a very sad, disappointing decision by CBS.
The Unit is one of the few shows we look forward to watching. And if they saved “Medium” in its place, that’s even worse!
I hope that public opinion can sway their decision and get the show reinstated (or bought by a different network) – at least to let it finish out with dignity!
I agree with the other posts. This is a crazy thing for CBS to do. While this network is the channel of choice in our household, this disappoints me greatly. But of course a drama that is purely imaginative WOULD over rule a drama that is true to life. So shame on CBS. My family is very disappointed in this decision.
I love the show… I am sure it had nothing to do with President Obama or any real life situations….78 get a live
Bushess ruined the unit and military for the US…. whites get used to it… you wanted the bueshes s ….. Why does it always come to race in AmeriKKKa # 78.
I can believe they canceled it. The Unit just doesn’t fit into Obama’s new America..
could it be that the current Democrat administration was not as conducive as the Republican administration that was in office during seasons 1-4?
i want closure….i want season 5 and then some
I am disheartened that CBS cancelled The Unit. I just found out. I, as were it looks like 10 million others, was a loyal fan and own the DVDs for all published seasons. I am very dissapointed the story will not be concluded properly a and am let down CBS would dedicate 4 years to a series, develop loyal followers, quickly sell DVDs for the series and leave us all hanging for the final ending of the saga. Not much loyalty to the fans when time slots have been jerked around some following may have fallen off. I and millions… Read more »