The Unit: Difference between revisions
m Reverted edits by 82.23.116.164 (talk) to last version by FlieGerFaUstMe262 |
Jonyandrhe (talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 122: | Line 122: | ||
|{{Flagicon|Chile}} [[Chile]] || [[Canal Fox]] || [[November 6]] [[2006]] || Mondays 10:00pm |
|{{Flagicon|Chile}} [[Chile]] || [[Canal Fox]] || [[November 6]] [[2006]] || Mondays 10:00pm |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|{{Flagicon|Portugal}} [[Portugal]] || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|FOX]] || [[November 7]] [[2006]] || Tuesdays 10:30pm |
|{{Flagicon|Portugal}} [[Portugal]] || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|FOX]] and [[RTP 1]]|| [[November 7]] [[2006]] || Tuesdays 10:30pm |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|{{Flagicon|Saudi Arabia}} [[Saudi Arabia]] <br/>and [[Arab World]]|| ''[[Showtime Arabia]] Tv Land <br/>and Tv Land +2 (Subtitled)'' || [[4 November]] [[2006]] || Saturday at 8:00pm |
|{{Flagicon|Saudi Arabia}} [[Saudi Arabia]] <br/>and [[Arab World]]|| ''[[Showtime Arabia]] Tv Land <br/>and Tv Land +2 (Subtitled)'' || [[4 November]] [[2006]] || Saturday at 8:00pm |
||
Revision as of 04:30, 21 April 2007
| The Unit | |
|---|---|
 The Unit title screen | |
| 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 |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 33 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | March 7, 2006 – present |
The Unit is an American action-drama television series that focuses on a top-secret special forces team 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.
Based on show producer Eric Haney's book, Inside Delta Force (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, on 11 January in Spain on La Sexta, on 25 January in The Netherlands on RTL 5 and on 7 March in Germany on Sat. 1.
Summary
The eponymous 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".
The unit's immediate chain of command goes to the unit's commanding officer, Colonel Tom Ryan, and, apparently, 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 eclectic structure. While it appears to be the size of a single company, which ranges in size from 60 to 250 personnel, it is commanded by a colonel (companies are usually commanded by captains; colonels usually command elements like brigades). 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 Special Forces A-Teams (Operational Detachments Alpha) are generally commanded by captains, 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 ("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 endeavours 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 covernames 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.
Episode list
Cast
| Actor | Role | Callsign |
|---|---|---|
| Dennis Haysbert | Sergeant Major Jonas Blane | Snake Doctor |
| Regina Taylor | Molly Blane | |
| Scott Foley | Staff Sergeant Bob Brown | Cool Breeze |
| Audrey Marie Anderson | Kim Brown | |
| Max Martini | Master Sergeant Mack Gerhardt | Dirt Diver |
| Abby Brammell | Tiffy Gerhardt | |
| Robert Patrick | Colonel Tom Ryan | Blue Iguana Dog Patch |
| Michael Irby | Charles Grey | Betty Blue |
| Demore Barnes | Sergeant Hector Williams | Hammer Head |
| Summer Glau | Crystal Burns | |
| Daniel Wisler | Jeremy Erhart |
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 name Logistical Studies Group, is somewhat similar to that of MACV - Studies and Observation Group, also a special forces unit, that served in Vietnam.
- The Unit's headquarters, nicknamed "The Cave", includes a briefing room, a conference room, and a Tactical Operations Center (TOC).
- 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 1 ("First Responders"), Sergeant Major Ron Cheals (Retired) reveals that Jonas Blane is "Alpha Team Commander".
- 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 8 (SERE), Ron Cheals refers to the team as "Alpha Team" when he welcomes them to SERE School as mock POW's.
- 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 Urgent Fury, Grenada, 1983.
- In episode 13 ("The Wall"), Mack offers Bob a cup of coffee, who says, "Coffee is for closers." - a reference to the movie Glengarry Glen Ross, written by David Mamet, who also writes The Unit.
- The show's theme song is an adaptation of the USMC running cadence song, Fired Up... Feels Good.
DVD releases
| DVD Name | Region 1 | Region 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | The Complete First Season | September 19 2006 | April 16 2007 |
International Broadcasters
External links
Network sites
- Official Website
- The Unit - Seven Network site (Australia)
- The Unit - network site (United Kingdom)