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.
O.K. 1st they cancel the best new comedy in sometime, “Worst Week,”- which was clever and witty (loved Kyle Bornheimer’s character)…now they cancel the Unit? Seriously? Really? My wife dropped “Sex in the City,” for “The Unit.” WTF? How incompetent and out of touch are the powers that be at CBS? Is this another left wing Communist Broadcasting System (CBS)? Let’s get rid of the one realistic, gritty, nail biting drama, honest, emotionally charged show that we possess that keeps the viewer on the edge of his seat and waiting for more? Where is the rational? This series was a… Read more »
We’re extremely disappointed that The Unit was cancelled. It was our favorite show on tv! We aren’t surprised tho because the show was geared toward a more conservative, patriotic viewing audience which Hollywood and CBS are both known for their liberal bias.
This was my favorite show; It was different from other shows; Maybe that is why CBS pulled it; My house will boycott CBS and campaign for other Unit fans to do so also;
Unbelievable! What a disappointment CBS! Only today did I find out The Unit was canceled. Shame on you CBS for canceling a top notch military drama in lieu of one more far fetched drama series. The Unit, and NCIS are the only 2 hours of TV per week worth watching. With the cancelation of The Unit, it looks like now NCIS is all there is. CBS you are pathetic! What are you so worried about? Are you worried that the fan base for The Unit is in my age bracket of the 40’s and 50 year olds? Yeah, well, head’s… Read more »
Even do i don’t have habit to write comments, but i had to comment on cancelation for The Unit. It’s a great shame for the TV shows in USA that they cancelled The Unit, because there are so many shows that they deserved to be canceled rather then The Unit. Like commented here before, great cast, great storylines and together it was a mix of all great stuff and it worked so good…So i really still hope they are going to return for one more season.
I am so very dissappointed they have decided to cancel The Unit. I have watched it from the beginning and was really looking forward to watching it again this year. I never really cared for The Medium and I truly hate the reality shows. Oh well I will just spend more time on my computer or with a book. Stupid decision CBS!
I just found this web site. Was looking to find out if The Unit was coming back. I did not stay up late to watch The Mentalist, though my wife did record it for me, but I wouldn’t have waited till the next day to see The Unit. I know that SOMEONE at CBS is going to get a big raise and promotion, people are always promoted to their level of incompetency. A decision like this is incompetent, to say the least. But you know what they say about opinions also, and I’m just one viewer amoung many, what do… Read more »
I can’t believe The Unit was cut and Medium will run another season. What are the studio people thinking! Sure hope the 5th season of the unit is produced in the future. The unit is a very entertaining show that showed a positive view of the military and their families. Each year less quality TV is produced in the start of the season.
I don’t agree with this decision or the decision of running all reruns from the week during Saturday night.
WIth all the mind numbing crap on TV how can there not be a gap in the market for a show like the Unit? Of course programs need to make a profit but if CBS cant make this highly engaging and politically charged program work then it is only a massive failing on their. Are they looking solely at the US? Even theree I see its attracting an honest and large following. What about the other networks in Canada, UK, europe. The job of sales and distribution is simply not being done. The Unit is cutting edge, lively and insightful.… Read more »
Does CBS have anything else that anyone watches?
It’s unfortunate The Unit is no more. The reason I read…although the viewer base was good, it was primarily watched by those 55 and over. First, why is that such a bad thing? With this economy that age group is more likley to spend. So the “no advertisers” thing just doesn’t wash. Second, I totally disagree! We all are related to or know someone in the military today…in all age groups. The Unit reminded us what pride, trust, and accomplishment all look like. Bad choice CBS!
We were so disappointed to see The Unit cancelled. In our home, it was tradition. And in exchange for The Medium? Seriously? There are so many shows similar to The Medium, reality shows for everyone, and cop dramas sprinkled everywhere. Not ONE other military drama….and one that unites men and women! I agree with one suggestion…maybe HBO can pick up where CBS dropped the ball! It’s worked well for them in the past…well enough to get motion pics! And imagine the possibilities! Uniqueness is no longer an asset. HBO…Showtime..someone…save us!
just one more reason to not watch network tv
Actually, I like Medium and was happy to see CBS save a very good show. But NOT saving the UNIT is just stupid. But they did make room for a 14th NCIS and a CSI:The Mall, or whatever, series. MORONS.
My humilitary veteran husband started me watching The Unit and I got hooked. I can’t believe all the garbage theat could have been cancelled instead. Now, I can go to bed earlier and not worry that I missing a thing. Who makes these stupid decisons anyway? All those reality shows are such trash, some of us like real drama, not dancing, lossing weight and all that crap.