The Unit is an American action-drama television series created by David Mamet that aired on CBS from March 7, 2006, to May 10, 2009 with the total of four seasons and 69 episodes.
The show is produced by The Barn Productions Inc., David Mamet Entertainment, and Fire Ants Films in association with 20th Century Fox Television.
Internationally, The Unit premiered on October 3, 2006, in the United Kingdom on Bravo; on October 11, 2006, in Australia on the Seven Network, and on FOX8 and Arena on Foxtel/Austar pay-TV network and now airs on 7Two on Tuesdays at 8:30 pm; on January 11 in Spain on La Sexta; on January 25 in the Netherlands on RTL 5; on March 7 in Germany on Sat.
The few who pass selection then undergo several more years of sophisticated and rigorous training for counterterrorism, reconnaissance, and direct-action missions.
In later episodes, unit members are shown as wearing the Special Operations Command patch on their class A uniforms.
It is unknown whether or not this bypasses the command hierarchy, though in the season-four episode, "The Spear of Destiny", a side character receives confidential mission information and when questioned as to who sent her, replies, "the Secretary of Defense".
The wives themselves are encouraged to form a close, cohesive military family based on the common knowledge and strife to which this inevitably leads.
The CO, Colonel Ryan, normally wears a "sanitized" uniform (bearing absolutely no tapes, such as his name, or even U.S. Army, or rank insignia).
The wives, if suspected of speaking about the unit's existence, can cause their husbands to be expelled and returned to regular Army service.
According to Jonas Blane, the order of precedence for his team after he is disabled, is, from top to bottom: Mack Gerhardt, Charles Grey, Hector Williams, and Bob Brown based on seniority.
^** Promoted from colonel during "Unknown Soldier" ^* Formerly Morgan; married Grey in "Unknown Soldier" ^* Formerly Canning; married Ryan in "The Wall" In 2005, CBS ordered a pilot for an adaptation of Eric L. Haney's 2002 memoir Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit.
The third season started on September 25, 2007, with a hiatus occurring after the 11th episode due to 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike.
On May 19, 2009, it was announced that, after four seasons and 69 episodes, the series had been cancelled by CBS,[3][4] but on the same day, producers at 20th Century Fox Television announced that the reruns of the show would be broadcast in syndication, in stations covering 56% of the country already committed to carrying the show, including the Fox Television Stations.
Jonas would eventually leave the Army due to his injuries coupled with combat stress and reunite with Molly.
Ryan would take a demotion to regain control of The Unit whilst Bridget Sullivan would be killed on a mission halfway through the season.
Charles Grey would take over as team leader with Sam McBride as his deputy training replacements for the personnel they have lost.
Other storylines would include the recruitment of more female members, the team being hounded by human rights campaigners intent on bringing them to trial for their actions, the CIA creating its own rival commando force as a mirror image of The Unit, the search for a mole within the organization leaking information to the highest bidder, the Army's treatment of soldiers suffering debilitating injuries and combat stress and Sam McBride confiding to Bridget Sullivan that he is the Unit's first gay member.