More thoughts on the cancellation of "The Unit"

As has been reported by several sources, CBS canceled "The Unit" today.  As most of my readers know, the Unit was my favorite show behind 24 and I watched it religiously.  The characters and storylines were gritty and realistic and I'll miss the show terribly.  I'm not sure why CBS would cancel a show that draws in almost 9 million viewers a week, but they in fact, did just that.  Face it folks, CBS hasn't treated both the show and it's fans with respect in a long time.  The Unit drew in more viewers last year than it has this year due to its move to Sunday nights.  Sunday night is poison for dramas on networks that have Football or regular sporting events that run over.  The Unit has had to deal several times with the start time being moved up, pre-emptions thanks to silly movies, and little to no promotion from the network itself and it still pulled in right at 9 million an episode (an impressive number against Brothers and Sisters on ABC). 

The bottom line is that I don't think CBS gave Shawn Ryan and David Mamet a fair shake.  Of course CBS is still in deny deny deny mode and told angry fans of the show that the reports about the cancellation of the show were premature and discussions were still ongoing.  I don't believe that for a second and it's just a network trying to save face since the news of the cancellation got out a day before their UpFront presentation.  I wish that FOX or some other network would pick up the show, but CBS waited too long for that to happen I'm afraid.  If nothing else, I would have loved to have seen the Unit given a chance to wrap up a few storylines (Ryan's replacement, angry feelings between RedCap and Whiplash, Jonas and Molly's relationship) via a few extra episodes.  It's a chance I don't think we'll see and that's a true shame.  It's apparent to me that CBS TV is every bit as ignorant as their radio counterparts at CBS Radio.  The Unit's cancellation and a non-pickup of the Jon Cassar directed "Washington Field equals a CBS boycott for me.  I'll stop watching Numbers, Criminal Minds and other CBS Shows and when the Vols or the Titans play on CBS TV, I'll listen to it on the radio.  I will however watch whatever series all the Unit actors get roles on, especially Dennis Haysbert and Max Martini.