The Unit
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| The Unit | |
|---|---|
The Unit title screen |
|
| Format | Action - Drama - Thriller |
| Created by | David Mamet |
| Starring | Dennis Haysbert Regina Taylor Scott Foley Robert Patrick Audrey Marie Anderson Max Martini Abby Brammell Demore Barnes Michael Irby |
| Country of origin | |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 47 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV), 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original run | March 7, 2006 – present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
The Unit is an American action-drama television series that focuses on a top-secret military unit modeled after the real life Delta Force. The program features both the domestic lives of the team members and their missions abroad, in addition to the effect their careers have on their home lives, wives and girlfriends. It premiered in the United States on March 7, 2006 on CBS as a mid-season replacement. The second season debuted on September 19, 2006, and the third season premiered on September 25, 2007.
Based on show producer Eric Haney's book, Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit (ISBN 0-440-23733-5), The Unit was created for television by David Mamet and is executive produced by Mamet and Shawn Ryan. The show is produced by The Barn Productions Inc., David Mamet Entertainment, and Fire Ants Films in association with 20th Century Fox Television and CBS Paramount Television.
Internationally, The Unit premiered on 3 October 2006 in the United Kingdom on Bravo, on 11 October 2006 in Australia on the Seven Network, and on FOX8 Cable TV on Foxtel/Austar Cable network, on 11 January in Spain on La Sexta, on 25 January in The Netherlands on RTL 5, on 7 March in Germany on Sat. 1, on September 23 in Bulgaria on bTV and on 9 March 2008 in Russia on DTV.
The show's theme song for the first two seasons is an adaptation of the United States Marine Corps running cadence song "Fired Up... Feels Good" and created by the Los Angeles based composer Robert Duncan. The new theme song for the third season, also by Duncan, is called "Walk the Fire".[1]
Production of the show was halted during the WGA Writers strike of 2007-2008 and only 11 episodes were filmed and broadcast. The show was picked up for a fourth season by CBS on May 12, 2008.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Summary
The Unit is a U.S. Army organization of unknown size, similar to Delta Force. As with Delta Force, its members come from the United States Army and appear to be primarily tasked with counterterrorism. The unit's official cover is as the "303rd Logistical Studies Group". In the third season's premier, an onscreen read-out specifically identifies the unit as "ALPHA Team 1st Special Actions Group".
The Unit is based at a fictional army post, "Fort Griffith". The location of Fort Griffith is never explicitly stated, but in Episode 303 "Always Kiss Them Goodbye", the storyline suggests that it is northwest of Pine Bluff, Arkansas and west/southwest of St. Louis, Missouri, which would place it in the vicinity of the real-life Fort Leonard Wood. The common sight of the Missouri license plate supports Fort Griffith being placed in Missouri, as well as a flyer in Episode 206 "Old Home Week", handed out at an anti-war rally at the Fort Griffith gates, inviting fellow protesters to a seminar in Greenwood, Missouri.
The unit's immediate chain of command goes to the commanding officer, Colonel Tom Ryan — and, presumably, straight to the President of the United States. It is unknown if this bypasses the Secretary of Defense.
The wives of the unit's personnel are given minimal information. They are fully aware of the fact that "The Unit" is a false front organization, and that their husbands are, in fact, still performing highly dangerous missions, but they are not permitted to know specifics, such as where their husbands are deployed, what their training routines consist of, how long their assignments will last, or even if their husbands are safe.
If a member of the Unit is killed in action, the family is told that they have been killed on a training mission. The wives themselves are encouraged to form a close, cohesive military family based on the mutual knowledge and strife this inevitably leads to.
The Unit has an unconventional structure. With the size of a company, approximately 130 operators, it is commanded by a Colonel (companies are usually commanded by Captains; Colonels usually command elements like regiments). 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).
Whereas a Special Forces ODA (Operational Detachments Alpha) is generally commanded by a Captain, the Unit sends teams and squads into the field under the command of noncommissioned officers, such as the team normally commanded by Sergeant Major Jonas Blane, the Unit's Alpha team NCOIC. It is probable that their soldiers have the same Special Forces specialties as in other Special Forces organizations. An Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA, formerly known as an "A-Team") has weapons sergeants, engineering sergeants, medical sergeants, communications sergeants, intelligence sergeants and operations sergeants.
The wives, if suspected of speaking about the Unit's existence through such endeavors as gossip, can cause their husbands to be expelled, and returned to regular Army service (even if with another Special Forces unit). Colonel Ryan has stated, time and again, that this can ruin a soldier's career, as well as their marriage, and has also stated that he will not hesitate to destroy families, in order to preserve the Unit's security. He has also threatened the wives with closing the Unit down, and restarting it someplace else under another cover, and forcing the uprooting of all families involved.
The Unit deploys throughout the world, and both the Army and United States government have the ability to deny the existence of the Unit and any of its members in order to prevent the onset of international incidents. Their uniforms are commonly not standard Army issue, which makes it easier to deny their connection with the US Army if killed or captured. They also carry weapons that are not always standard-issue. Like all Special Forces units, the Unit's personnel are well-familiarized with weapons from around the world and can make themselves look like military personnel from other organizations.
The Unit's members will frequently use code-names around non-Unit associated people, such as Mr. White, Mr. Black, Mr. Blue or Mr. Green. 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.
[edit] Weapons
The Unit shows the use of a variety of weapon platforms, determined by their mission objectives and area of operations. Because of the specialised and/or covert nature of their operations, unit operators do not always use standard issue weapons for deniability reasons. They are however, often seen with AR-15-style rifles, namely the Colt M4A1 with or without the optional M203 40mm grenade launcher, and the Heckler & Koch HK416 (in the D10RS sub-variant, with a 10 inch barrel) with optical sights (normally the Trijicon 4x ACOG, Aimpoint CompM2 and/or EOTech 552 Holographic sight). Other noteworthy assault rifles the Colt M16A4 rifle (outfitted with precision sniper scope), HK G36C, SIG SG 552 Commando rifle and the Fabrique Nationale FAL and FN F2000 (with the standard integrated FN optics removed) assault rifles. It is also worth noting that Unit operators have on occasion, employed the supressor-fitted AK-47 assault rifle for operations in Iran. For many of their undercover operations and close protection details, Unit operators also utilize submachine guns such as the Heckler & Koch MP5K and MP5N, and the Steyr TMP/Brugger-Thomet MP9. Although the operators rarely carry support weapons (such as squad machine guns) in order to keep mobility, they have also been seen using the FN M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. Needless to say, they are also proficient with crew-served emplaced weapons such as Browning M2 .50 caliber heavy machine gun and FN M240B mounted on military Humvees.
As all Unit operators are expert marksmen trained to hit head sized targets at various ranges, they have also used various rifles such as Knight's Armament Company SR-25, Heckler & Koch PSG1, Accuracy International PM, CheyTac M-200, Blaser 93 LRS2 Tactical, and CheyTac LRRS.
Several pistols are noted, as it would seem that each operator takes the weapon of their personal preference. Some include the Kimber Custom TLE II carried by Jonas Blane, the SIG Sauer P226 carried by Charles Grey, Hector Williams and Bob Brown, a Glock used by Bob Brown and another custom M1911 carried by Mack Gerhardt and Tom Ryan. Mack Gerhardt also carries a Walther TPH for backup and deep concealment. Bob Brown has also been seen using a Sig Sauer P232.
[edit] Episodes
[edit] Ratings
USA TV Ratings
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of The Unit on CBS:
| Season | Timeslot (EDT) | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Rank | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tuesday 9:00 P.M. | March 7, 2006 | May 16, 2006 | 2005-2006 | #14 | 15.5[3] |
| 2 | Tuesday 9:00 P.M. | September 19, 2006 | May 8, 2007 | 2006-2007 | #36 | 11.1[4] |
| 3 | Tuesday 9:00 P.M. | September 25, 2007 | December 18, 2007 | 2007-2008 | #37 | 10.7[5] |
[edit] DVD releases
| DVD Name | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 3 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | September 19, 2006 | April 30, 2007 | April 18, 2007 | April 18, 2007 |
| The Complete Second Season | September 25, 2007 | October 22, 2007 | TBA | March 4, 2008 |
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role | Callsign |
|---|---|---|
| Dennis Haysbert | Sergeant Major Jonas Blane | Snake Doctor |
| Regina Taylor | Molly Blane | |
| Scott Foley | Sergeant First Class Bob Brown | Cool Breeze |
| Audrey Marie Anderson | Kim Brown | |
| Max Martini | Master Sergeant Mack Gerhardt | Dirt Diver |
| Abby Brammell | Tiffy Gerhardt | |
| Robert Patrick | Colonel Thomas Ryan | Blue Iguana |
| Michael Irby | Sergeant First Class Charles Grey | Betty Blue |
| Demore Barnes | Sergeant First Class Hector Williams | Hammerhead |
| Rebecca Pidgeon | Charlotte Ryan | |
| Summer Glau | Crystal Burns | |
| Daniel Wisler | Jeremy Erhart |
[edit] Main crew
- David Mamet
- Shawn Ryan
- Carol Flint
- Vahan Moosekian (showrunner)
- Paul Redford
- Lynn Mamet
- Eric L. Haney
- Sharon Lee Watson
[edit] Notes
^* There are continuity errors regarding the rank of Jonas Blane. In "Pandemonium, Part 2", Blane states his rank as Command Sergeant Major, while in "Play 16", his uniform rank is Sergeant Major. And he is often called "Top", a name that First Sergeants are commonly called.
^** Promoted during "Side Angle Slide".
^*** A similar continuity error exists regarding the rank of Mack Gerhardt. In the season 1 episode "True Believers" his wife addresses him as "Sergeant Major," but his rank is later established as Master Sergeant.
^**** Colonel Tom Ryan's callsign is not "Dog Patch", but "Blue Iguana" (Season 2 episode "The Water Is Wide"); "Dog Patch" is the callsign of the Unit's TOC (Tactical Operations Center).
^† Killed in Action in Beirut, Lebanon during "Five Brothers".
[edit] Trivia
- The Unit's official cover name is the 303rd Logistical Studies Group and is a reference to the 303rd, the fictitious infantry unit from Wag the Dog, a film scripted by David Mamet.
- The Unit's cover name, Logistical Studies Group, is somewhat similar to 'Combat Applications Group', reportedly one of the designations used by Delta, as well as to that of Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group, also a special forces unit that served in Vietnam.
- In episode 1 ("First Responders"), Bob Brown is looking at photos on the wall of Ron and Ruthie's cabin — the first photo is of Eric Haney, author of Inside Delta Force and the show's producer and military consultant.
- In episode 2 ("Stress"), the sign outside the 303rd Logistical Studies building lists that unit's Command Sergeant Major as "E.L. Haney", Eric Haney's actual Army rank when he retired. Haney in fact never got the chance to be the Command Sergeant Major of Delta Force, as he was promoted when there was already a CSM of Delta Force.
- In episode 10 ("Unannounced"), Sergeant Kayla Medawar (Kavita Patil) mentions "Joint Task Force Rainbow has just landed in Tikrit," a possible reference to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six.
- In episode 11 ("Exposure"), the engraving on the knife (C 1/75 - BOHICA) found by Jonas and Cheals in the Central American store refers to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. This was the company Eric Haney was assigned to when he was a member of 1st Ranger Battalion. It also refers to the company of Rangers attached to Delta Force during Operation Eagle Claw the attempted rescue of US Hostages in Iran, 1979.
- In episode 13 ("The Wall"), Mack offers Bob a cup of coffee, who says, "Coffee's for closers" - a reference to the play Glengarry Glen Ross, written by David Mamet, who also writes The Unit.
- In Season 3, Episode 10 ("Gone Missing"), the white-board above the beer fridge shown near the end of the episode has a list of people under the "Alpha Team" and "Bravo Team" headings. These include the real names (some first, some last) of the cast and crew. Alpha Team consists of Haney, Ryan, Clack, Ramirez, Dennis, Zinberg, Hayesbert, Pasquale, Foley, Irby, Max. Bravo Team consists of Johnson, Jordan, Cocoa, Molique, Carson, Zack, Patrick, Eric, Spoons, Glick.
- In Season 3, episode 9 ("Binary Explosion"), Charles Grey makes reference to being a past member of the 'Byz-Lats' Latino streetgang while posing undercover. Though based on a real streetgang, the Byz-Lats are a fictional gang who regularly appear in Unit producer Shawn Ryan's other notable television credit, The Shield.
- The unit patch worn at Ft Griffith is that of the 24th Infantry Division (United States), which is now inactive.
[edit] References
- ^ MySpace: Robert Duncan Retrieved on October 5, 2007.
- ^ Upfronts: CBS renews Britney Spears-enhanced 'How I Met Your Mother' and 'The Unit' : Show Tracker : Los Angeles Times
- ^ "2005-06 primetime wrap", May 26, 2006.
- ^ "Hollywood Reporter: 2006-07 primetime wrap", May 25, 2007.
- ^ Season Program Rankings. ABC Medianet (2008-05-28). Retrieved on 2008-06-02.
[edit] External links
- The Unit at the Internet Movie Database
- The Unit at TV.com
[edit] Network sites
- Official Website
- The Unit - Seven Network site (Australia)
- The Unit - network site (United Kingdom)
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