The Unit

:

Season 1
  • Network: CBS
  • Series Premiere Date: Mar 7, 2006
Season #: 4, 3, 2, 1
Metascore
61

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 25
  3. Negative: 4 out of 25
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Critic Reviews

  1. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Gloria Goodale
    83
    This could all get old really fast, but Taylor's steely performance keeps the home front interesting, while the globe-trotting soldiers bring home the reality of how many troubled spots this small planet still has.
  2. Salon
    Reviewed by: Heather Havrilesky
    80
    One of the major strengths of "The Unit" is its ability to tackle the blurry ethical lines and confusing behavioral codes of the military during a time of war.
  3. San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
    Reviewed by: Charlie McCollum
    80
    It just oozes potential with sharp dialogue and a strong cast.
  5. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Barry Garron
    80
    "The Unit" is filled with thrilling action and heart-pounding adventure.
  6. Orlando Sentinel
    Reviewed by: Hal Boedeker
    80
    Mamet skillfully balances the men's harrowing missions with their wives' sacrifices on the home front.
  7. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Storm
    80
    Only an occasional over-spicing of melodrama keeps The Unit from TV's top echelon. Even so, it's the best new dramatic series of a TV season that started way back in September.
  8. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    75
    This being Mamet, there's lots of folksy jargon. [10 Mar 2006, p.56]
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  9. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Doug Elfman
    75
    "The Unit"... is predictably Mametian only in that it's interesting, tightly written and finely shot.
  10. Detroit Free Press
    Reviewed by: Mike Duffy
    75
    It's uneven in spots, with the riveting action sequences sometimes overshadowing the more subdued domestic scenes. But unlike the often gratingly shallow "JAG," "The Unit" allows for ambiguity.
  11. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Tim Goodman
    75
    Sometimes formula done entertainingly is just what the country wants to eat.
  12. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Robert Abele
    70
    There are glimmers of something refreshingly different.
  13. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Melanie McFarland
    70
    A promising cast and respected executive producers conspire to give "The Unit" a shot at being this spring's breakout hit. But the real proof's in the pilot, a thrilling balance between the action of this sharpshooting brotherhood and the schemes of their secretive, slightly overbearing wives.
  14. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Tom Shales
    70
    Mamet offers a kind of thinking person's war movie for a nation that is, indeed, at war.

Awards & Rankings

46
#46 Best TV Season of 2006
33
#33 Most Discussed TV Season of 2006
16
#16 Most Shared TV Season of 2006

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 154 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 105 out of 154
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 154
  3. Negative: 34 out of 154
  1. ReviewCritic
    Jan 3, 2012
    6
    Compelling and interesting, however the special effects are not top notch. The acting performances are also pretty good. I like the AllstateCompelling and interesting, however the special effects are not top notch. The acting performances are also pretty good. I like the Allstate guy, lol. He doesn't do commercials anymore, apparently.… Full Review »
  2. derstreber
    Sep 14, 2014
    10
    The Unit maybe one of the best tv shows I have ever seen. I loved the look, the style and everything. It was perfect. Such a shame that it wasThe Unit maybe one of the best tv shows I have ever seen. I loved the look, the style and everything. It was perfect. Such a shame that it was discontinued just to produce one more useless NCIS spin-off.
    Kick all NCIS stuff out of your program except ne original one that was really good and go back producing The Unit. Dennis Haysbert was awesome btw.    … Full Review »
  3. Innovationrules
    Jul 20, 2011
    10
    The Unit represents one of the most compelling hours of television anywhere and anytime. I am flummoxed by the critics average score, otherThe Unit represents one of the most compelling hours of television anywhere and anytime. I am flummoxed by the critics average score, other than to say critics are generally against any TV drama that purveys the military in anything approaching a favorable light.

    In fact the drama is many times so gripping that the episode becomes difficult to watch. Is it too much for at least some home viewers to reach star status?

    Ultimately, I believe the the show suffered from two flaws that lead to its failure; one common and one not so common. The common one is that in 5 years the characters did not evolve enough to deep the deeply faithful viewership alive. The show was at its best presenting the army's best soldiers in impossible situations, but floundered in the continuing Kafkaesque moments with wives and girlfriends.

    The second flaw was the wife story line. It was frustratingly unrealistic. No one, and I mean no one, can watch even 1 season of absolutely shunned wife long suffering and comparatively uneventful story lines while being complicitly lied to, and not be frustrated. Not even Jonas would not tell the love of his life what he was doing. The evolution in the last season was a band-aid to this issue, not a solution.

    Kudos to the writers and the producers of an absolutely brilliant idea and some of the best writing on TV. But Andy Griffin shows are dead. People need to change. It's part of the fun.    … Full Review »
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