The Unit
Encyclopedia
The Unit is an American action-drama television series that focuses on a top-secret military unit modeled after the real-life U.S. Army special operations unit commonly known as Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...

. The series originally aired on CBS from March 7, 2006, to May 10, 2009.

Production

The program features both the domestic lives of the team members and their missions abroad, in addition to the effects 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
Midseason replacement
In American and Canadian television, a midseason replacement is a television series that premieres in the second half of the traditional television season, usually between January and May...

. The second season debuted on September 19, 2006. 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. The show was picked up for a fourth season by CBS on May 12, 2008. The fourth season began on September 28, 2008, and concluded on May 10, 2009. On May 19, 2009, it was announced that, after four seasons and 69 episodes, the series had been canceled by CBS. But on the same day, producers 20th Century Fox Television
20th Century Fox Television
20th Century Fox Television is the television production division of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, and a production arm of the Fox Broadcasting Company...

 announced that the reruns of the show would be broadcast in syndication, in stations covering 56 percent of the country already committed to carrying the show, including the Fox Television Stations.

Premise

Based on show producer Eric L. Haney
Eric L. Haney
Eric L. Haney is a retired member of the United States Army counterterrorist unit, the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta , more commonly known as Delta Force. In recent years he has been writing on terrorism, guerrilla warfare, and special operations...

's book, Inside Delta Force
Inside Delta Force
Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit is a 2002 memoir written by Eric L. Haney about his experiences as a founding special forces operator in the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta the U.S. Army's counterterrorist unit...

: The Story of America's Elite Counter terrorist Unit
(ISBN 0-440-23733-5), The Unit was created for television and executive produced by David Mamet
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...

 and Shawn Ryan
Shawn Ryan
Shawn Ryan is a writer, and the creator of the FX Networks series The Shield and the Fox TV series The Chicago Code.-Education/Personal life:...

. The show is produced by The Barn Productions Inc., David Mamet Entertainment, and Fire Ants Films in association with 20th Century Fox Television
20th Century Fox Television
20th Century Fox Television is the television production division of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, and a production arm of the Fox Broadcasting Company...

.

The show purports to describe the daily lives of Delta Force (called "The Unit" in the show) operators during training and operational missions as well as their families back home.

Internationally, The Unit premiered on October 3, 2006, in the United Kingdom on Bravo; on October 11, 2006, in Australia on the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...

 and on FOX8
FOX8
Fox8 is an Australian cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms...

 and Arena on Foxtel/Austar pay-TV network and now airs on 7Two
7Two
7TWO is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel which was launched by the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November 2009 at 12pm....

 on Tuesdays at 8:30 pm; on January 11 in Spain on La Sexta
La Sexta
laSexta is the sixth nationwide broadcast television station in Spain. It is privately owned and began broadcasting in 2006.-Programming:....

; on January 25 in The Netherlands on RTL 5
RTL 5
RTL 5 is the 2nd channel of the RTL Group in the Netherlands. The channel mainly broadcasts American films and hit series but also local productions including Jensen! and Holland's Next Top Model, a Dutch version of America's Next Top Model. RTL 5 recently started airing the Dutch version of...

; on March 7 in Germany on Sat. 1; on September 23 in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

 on bTV; on March 9, 2008, in Russia on DTV; and on June 13, 2009, in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

 on VTC7-Today TV
Vietnam Multimedia Corporation
Vietnam Multimedia Corporation or Vietnam Television Corporation is a large multimedia corporation in Vietnam. It was founded on February, 1988 by Vietnam Television with the main purpose to construct television stations...

, in Turkey by TNT.

The theme music for the first and second season was "Fired Up" by Robert Duncan
Robert Duncan (composer)
Robert Duncan is a Canadian composer of film and television music, who composed music for such TV series as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Unit; and films such as Butterfly on a Wheel and Into the Blue 2: The Reef...

. Although the show focuses on an Army special ops unit, "Fired Up" is an adaptation of a Marine Corps running cadence
Military cadence
In the armed services, a military cadence or cadence call is a traditional call-and-response work song sung by military personnel while running or marching...

 called "Fired Up, Feels Good". Duncan also created "Walk the Fire", a 22-second segment used as a theme since season three.

Summary

"The Unit" is the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 colloquial term for Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...

. Its recruits are selected from the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 (primarily from the Ranger Regiment
United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School...

 and Special Forces Groups
United States Special Operations Forces
United States Special Operations Forces under United States Special Operations Command are active and reserve component forces of U.S. Military...

). The few who pass selection then undergo several more years of sophisticated and rigorous training for counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...

, reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....

, and direct action
Direct action (military)
In the context of military special operations, direct action consists of: "Short-duration strikes and other small-scale offensive actions conducted as a special operation in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive environments and which employ specialized military capabilities to seize, destroy,...

 missions. In a TV interview, series creator Eric Haney—who is a former Delta Force operator—stated that the term "Delta Force" is never used in the spec ops
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...

 community. They are only referred to as "The Unit" and their DOD designation is "Combat Applications Group". The official cover name of The Unit in the show is the similar sounding "303rd Logistical Studies Group". In the third season's premiere, an onscreen read-out specifically identifies The Unit as "1st Special Actions Group", reminiscent of 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta.

The Unit is based at a fictional army post, "Fort Griffith". The location of Fort Griffith is never explicitly stated, but in Episode 103, a bank statement of the lead character clearly shows an address for Fort Griffith, MO 63021, which puts it a few miles west of St. Louis. Other episodes make clear references to Greenwood, including mentions of Greenwood/Fort Griffith area, and local Greenwood police cars as well as Missouri license plates clearly appear in many episodes. Greenwood, Missouri
Greenwood, Missouri
Greenwood is a city in Jackson and Cass Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 3,952 at the 2000 census.-Settlement:Over 140 years ago the name Greenwood was filed for court record June 25, 1867, by R.W. Price, Frank Brooks, Alfred Hanscomb and the Rev. S.B. Clark...

 is a small town located southeast of Kansas City. Unit members also wear the shoulder sleeve insignia of the deactivated 24th Infantry Division on their Class A uniforms, as well as the shoulder crest of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment is an airborne infantry regiment in the United States Army, first formed in 1942 as part of the 82nd Airborne Division.-Organization:...

, "Strike Hold", currently part of the 1st ABCT of the 82nd Airborne Division. In later episodes, Unit members are shown as wearing the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) patch on their Class A uniforms.

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 Alpha Team personnel are given minimal mission or operational information. They are responsible for maintaining the "303rd Logistical Studies Group" cover in all interactions with anyone who is not a Unit family member. 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 he has been killed on a training mission. The wives themselves are encouraged to form a close, cohesive military family based on the common 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
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...

 are usually commanded by Captains; Colonels usually command elements like regiments). This is parallel to Delta's structure, which was implemented by Col. Charles Alvin Beckwith. The CO
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...

, 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
United States Army Special Forces
The United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...

 ODA (Operational Detachment—Alpha) is commanded by a Captain, the Unit sends five-man teams into the field under non-commissioned officers, such as the team led by Sergeant Major
Sergeant Major
Sergeants major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. In Commonwealth countries, Sergeants Major are usually appointments held by senior non-commissioned officers or warrant officers...

 Jonas Blane
Jonas Blane
Sergeant Major Jonas Blane is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Unit. He is portrayed by Dennis Haysbert...

, The Unit's NCOIC
Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge
The designation Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge, usually abbreviated to NCOIC , signifies an individual in the enlisted ranks of a military unit who has limited command authority over others in the unit....

 of Alpha Team. It is possible that their soldiers have the same Special Forces specialties as in Army Special Forces. An ODA, formerly known as an "A-Team", has Weapons Sergeants, Engineering Sergeants, Medical Sergeants, Communications Sergeants, etc.

The wives, if suspected of speaking about The Unit's existence, can cause their husbands to be expelled and returned to regular Army service. Colonel Ryan has stated, time and again, that this can ruin a soldier's career, as well as his 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 somewhere else under another cover—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 they are killed or captured. They also carry weapons that are not always standard-issue, and 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 such as Snake Doctor, Dirt Diver, Betty Blue, Cool Breeze, and Hammer Head. These are usually used when working directly with American civilians, other English speakers not trained for emergencies, or on counter-terrorism missions as well as colors (Mr. White, Green, Blue, Black). According to Jonas Blane
Jonas Blane
Sergeant Major Jonas Blane is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Unit. He is portrayed by Dennis Haysbert...

, the order of precedence for his team after he is disabled, is, from top to bottom: Mack Gerhardt
Mack Gerhardt
Master Sergeant MacDonald James "Mack" Gerhardt is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Unit. He is portrayed by Max Martini.- Character Overview :...

, Charles Grey
Charles Grey (The Unit)
Sergeant First Class Charles Lewis Grey is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Unit...

, Hector Williams
Hector Williams
Sergeant First Class Hector Lucian Williams was a fictional character on the CBS television series The Unit. He was portrayed by Canadian actor Demore Barnes....

, and Bob Brown
Bob Brown (The Unit)
Sergeant First Class Robert Davis "Bob" Brown is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Unit. He is portrayed by Scott Foley.-Character Overview:...

 based on seniority.

Cast

Actor Role Callsign Season
Dennis Haysbert
Dennis Haysbert
Dennis Dexter Haysbert is an American film and television actor. He is known for portraying baseball player Pedro Cerrano in the Major League film trilogy, President David Palmer on the American television series 24, and Sergeant Major Jonas Blane on the drama series The Unit, as well as his work...

 
Sergeant Major Jonas Blane
Jonas Blane
Sergeant Major Jonas Blane is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Unit. He is portrayed by Dennis Haysbert...

 
Snake Doctor 1–4
Regina Taylor
Regina Taylor
Regina Taylor is an American actress and playwright. She has won several awards throughout her career, including a Golden Globe Award and NAACP Image Award.-Biography:...

 
Molly Blane  1–4
Scott Foley
Scott Foley
Scott Kellerman Foley is an American actor. He is known for roles in television shows such as The Unit and Felicity, and in films such as Scream 3...

 
Sergeant First Class
Sergeant First Class
Sergeant First Class is the seventh enlisted rank in the U.S. Army, above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant and First Sergeant, and is the first senior non-commissioned officer rank...

Bob Brown
Bob Brown (The Unit)
Sergeant First Class Robert Davis "Bob" Brown is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Unit. He is portrayed by Scott Foley.-Character Overview:...

 
Whipporwill until compromised midway through first season/Cool Breeze for the remainder of the series 1–4
Audrey Marie Anderson
Audrey Marie Anderson
Audrey Marie Anderson is an American film and television actress. She was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas.- Career :...

 
Kim Brown  1–4
Max Martini
Max Martini
Maximilian Carlo "Max" Martini is an American film, theater and television actor known for his roles as Corporal Fred Henderson in Saving Private Ryan, Wiley in Level 9, First Sergeant Sid Wojo in The Great Raid, and as Master Sergeant Mack Gerhardt on the military television drama, The...

 
Master Sergeant Mack Gerhardt
Mack Gerhardt
Master Sergeant MacDonald James "Mack" Gerhardt is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Unit. He is portrayed by Max Martini.- Character Overview :...

 
Dirt Diver (Jonas called Mack Dutchman in S04E11) 1–4
Abby Brammell
Abby Brammell
Abby Brammell is an American television and stage actress.-Personal life:Brammell was born in Kentucky and raised in San Antonio, Texas, where she graduated from Churchill High School in 1997. She graduated from the Carnegie Mellon University drama school in 2001...

 
Tiffy Gerhardt
Tiffy Gerhardt
Tiffy Gerhardt is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Unit. She is portrayed by American actress Abby Brammell.She is the wife of Mack Gerhardt, and she and her husband have two daughters....

 
1–4
Michael Irby
Michael Irby
Michael Clinton Irby is an American film and television actor. He is known for portraying Sergeant First Class Charles Grey in The Unit.-Personal life:...

 
Sergeant First Class
Sergeant First Class
Sergeant First Class is the seventh enlisted rank in the U.S. Army, above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant and First Sergeant, and is the first senior non-commissioned officer rank...

 Charles Grey
Charles Grey (The Unit)
Sergeant First Class Charles Lewis Grey is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Unit...

 
Betty Blue 1–4
Bre Blair
Bre Blair
Bre Blair , is a Canadian actress, who currently resides in Los Angeles, California. Her birth name is Sarah Brianne.Her first major role was portraying Stacey McGill in the 1995 movie The Baby-Sitters Club....

 
Joss Grey 4
Robert Patrick
Robert Patrick
Robert Hammond Patrick, Jr. is an American actor, known for his leading and supporting roles in a number of films and television shows....

 
Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...

Thomas Ryan
Tom Ryan (The Unit)
Brigadier General Thomas R. Ryan is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Unit...

 
Dog Patch 06/Blue Iguana when on operation (callsign Hatchet was used in S04E11) 1–4
Rebecca Pidgeon
Rebecca Pidgeon
Rebecca Pidgeon is a British actress and singer-songwriter. She has maintained a recording career while also acting on stage and in feature films. She is married to the American writer and director David Mamet.-Early life:...

 
Charlotte Ryan 1–4
Demore Barnes
Demore Barnes
Demore Barnes is a Canadian film and television actor who is best known for his role in the American television show, The Unit as Hector Williams aka Hammerhead....

 
Sergeant First Class
Sergeant First Class
Sergeant First Class is the seventh enlisted rank in the U.S. Army, above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant and First Sergeant, and is the first senior non-commissioned officer rank...

 Hector Williams
Hector Williams
Sergeant First Class Hector Lucian Williams was a fictional character on the CBS television series The Unit. He was portrayed by Canadian actor Demore Barnes....

Hammer Head 1–3
Nicole Steinwedell
Nicole Steinwedell
-Career:She has appeared in several films and television productions including as Bridget Sullivan, on seventeen episodes of the television series The Unit.-Filmography:*Paris Connections as Madison*A Single Man as Doris...

 
Warrant Officer One
Warrant Officer (United States)
In the United States military, the rank of warrant officer is rated as an officer above the senior-most enlisted ranks, as well as officer cadets and candidates, but below the officer grade of O-1...

 Bridget Sullivan
Red Cap 4
Wes Chatham  Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...

 Sam McBride
Whiplash 4
Kavita Patil
Kavita Patil
Kavita Patil is an actress who plays Sergeant Medawar in the television show The Unit.-External links:...

 
Sergeant Kayla Medawar 1–4
Susan Matus  Sergeant Sarah Irvine 2–4
Angel Wainwright  Second Lieutenant Betsy Blane 1–4
Summer Glau
Summer Glau
Summer Lyn Glau is an American actress, known for playing River Tam in the science fiction series Firefly and follow-up film Serenity, and for playing Cameron in the series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.-Early life:...

 
Crystal Burns  2
Daniel Wisler
Daniel Wisler
Daniel James Wisler is an American actor, who is best known for his recurring role in the television series The Unit, as Jeremy Erhart, an Army veteran...

 
Jeremy Erhart  2
Alyssa Shafer  Serena Brown 1–4

Seasonal ratings

|1
|13
|
|
|15.5
|14> |2
|23
|style="padding: 0px 8px"|
|
|11.1
|36> |3
|11
|
|style="padding: 0px 8px"|
|10.7
|37> |4
|22
|
|
|10.0
|43>
Season Episodes Originally aired Viewers
(millions)
Rank
Season premiere
Season premiere
In North America, a season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a given television show. It often airs in September or October, after several months of reruns.-Evaluating the changes:...

Season finale
Season finale
A season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program...


Episodic ratings

DVD releases

DVD Name Region 1 Region 2 Region 3 Region 4
The Complete First Season September 19, 2006 April 30, 2007
France: July 4, 2007

Belgium: August 8, 2007
April 18, 2007 April 18, 2007
The Complete Second Season September 25, 2007 October 22, 2007 TBA March 4, 2008
The Complete Third Season October 14, 2008 October 20, 2008 TBA April 8, 2009
The Complete Fourth Season September 29, 2009 February 22, 2010 TBA May, 2010
The Unit: The Complete Giftset September 29, 2009 February 22, 2010 TBA May, 2010

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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