TV Verdict

For its fourth season, The Unit is moving to Sunday nights at 10pm. For fans of the show, this is perfect considering there isn’t much else on that late on a Sunday; but this new timeslot also opens the show up to possibly a brand new audience. So, since I’ll be reviewing the show each week, I see this as a perfect time to give everyone a little primer.

The Unit was created by David Mamet (Redbelt) and Shawn Ryan (The Shield). Since its inception three years ago, the series has had a marginally successful, if somewhat rocky, relationship with CBS. It’s a show that’s always dealt with hard competition and no promotion, but continues to feed off of a very dedicated fan-base. The show, which is actually made by Fox Studios, has nearly survived cancellation twice… so it seems fair to say that this season may be the last (although I hope not).

The Unit is a military action-drama that follows a covert team of soldiers who fight terrorists, dictators, and drug lords across the globe. Their involvement in this undercover military operation needs to be kept secret at all costs, meaning that their wives at home on the base have to work double-time to keep things under wraps. And so it’s on this premise that the show is structured, usually with the men and women sharing equal screen time. While occasionally the setup is successful, it’s no secret that the majority of viewers are turning in for the sweet explosions and action abroad, not the overwrought soap opera at home.

The show features a number of great military archetypes played by top-notch actors, including Dennis Haysbert as Jonas Blane, a wise warrior who finds himself growing too old for the game; Scott Foley as Bob Brown, the hot-shot rookie on the team; Max Martini as Mack Gerhardt, the grizzled soldier whose personal issues bleed into missions; and Robert Patrick as Col. Tom Ryan, the Unit’s commander. At home are Jonas’s busy-body wife Molly (Regina Taylor), Bob’s ever-pregnant wife Kim (Audrey Marie Anderson), and Mack’s cheating wife Tiffy (Abby Brammell).

With a large cast, including some other b-role folks I didn’t mention, the show certainly has a lot going on; thankfully each episode is largely self-contained. Much like Mission: Impossible or The A-Team, the Unit gets a mission at the beginning of the episode, and usually solves it by the end. If you are looking to catch up on previous seasons, the first two are available on DVD and the third will be coming out this October. All three seasons have their strong points, but the third (which was cut short by the writer’s strike) stumbles a bit with some weird CIA conspiracy junk.

According to the preview in Entertainment Weekly, this season promises more explosive action as before with the added bonus of internal intrigue back on the military base. Only time will tell if that will all pan out.

EPISODES TO WATCH:
Season One
101 – First Responders
108 – SERE
113 – The Wall
Season Two
204 – Manhunt
210 – Bait
217 – Dark of the Moon
Season Three
306 – MPs
307 – Five Brothers
308 – Play 16