The Unit

Developed by writers/producers David Mamet (Wag The Dog) and Shaun Ryan (The Shield) based upon Eric Haney's book about the Delta Force, The Unit is an action adventure TV series, charged with explosions, terrorists plots and even a sprinkle of family drama and crises.

Heavily inspired by and based around the growing supposed war against terrorism, The Unit juxtaposes the lives of the team members of the Special Forces on their dangerous missions against the lives of their loved ones back home. The format of the show isn’t driven just by stunts, explosions and terror plots, but also by real human drama and everyday life. This show is as much about family as it is about camaraderie.

At times though, certain storylines fall into the stereotype category, something seen more of in the earlier seasons than the later ones. For example, there were more Arabic speaking terrorists than any other in the first two seasons.

Dennis Haysbert (24, Major League movie series) plays the commanding officer of the Unit’s Alpha team, and his role on the show commands every scene. Haysbert is undeniably the Hannibal Smith (of the A-Team fame) of the team; charming yet determined, his character, Sergeant Major Jonas Blane thrusts a newcomer to the team into the fray of a terrorist hijacking without blinking an eye.

Scott Foley plays newcomer Sergeant First Class, Bob Brown, whose lifelong ambition has finally brought him to the infamous Unit. His first day on the job is not only a total hands-on experience but a matter of life and death. While he adjusts to the bullets that are being shot at him, his wife Kim (Audrey Marie Anderson) adjusts to being a wife of a member of the Unit. And that’s where the real drama of the series kicks in. Granted it’s not as audacious as Desperate Housewives but this is about real people in real situations.

The Unit is an action adventure drama now available on DVD.