Enthusiasts of war dramas and military shows have been presented with an unmissable chance to view a “captivating” series completely free of charge. The programme, based on genuine Delta Force operations, chronicles a clandestine US Special Forces unit that officially doesn’t exist.
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This team receives classified military assignments directly from the President — operations they can never publicly disclose or claim recognition for. The series, The Unit, ran for four seasons on CBS between 2006 and 2009, with supporters continuing to campaign for its return.
British audiences can now stream the series without charge for the very first time on Great! Action, Freeview channel 42, and via the Great! Player.
Dennis Haysbert leads the cast as Sergeant Major Jonas Blane, a former Ranger and Green Beret who commands Alpha Team with an understated authority that earns his soldiers’ respect, reports the Express.
Throughout the series, his unit retrieves a radioactive element from a Chinese satellite, rescues missionaries in Indonesia, eliminates a terrorist financier in Spain, recovers stolen Stinger missiles from Brazilian arms dealers and captures a Serbian war criminal in the Balkans.
The programme, which also features Scott Foley, Robert Patrick and David Harbour, distinguished itself through its emphasis on the domestic front and the wives safeguarding their husbands’ cover identities.
Through its parallel storytelling, the show possessed an emotional resonance that maintained viewer engagement, yet despite a dedicated following, The Unit was cancelled in 2009 due to network financial constraints.
The series originally broadcast on Bravo in the UK during its initial run, though it hasn’t been accessible to watch for free since that time.
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Viewers flocked to IMDb reviews to express their opinions on the series, with one describing it as “captivating”, writing: “An excellent show! After I started watching, I couldn’t stop!”
“I really love the characters, and the way they are so real in dealing with the problems of marriage, raising kids, and the emotional ups and downs for the spouses, and the men of the Unit.
“Each episode has captivated me one way or another, I’ve been scared with them, angry with them and for them, and wept with them.”
Another audience member commented during its original broadcast: “This is an amazing show, the production values are top-notch. The team that puts this show together goes all-out for a gritty, realistic experience full of more intrigue and excitement than I have ever seen in any TV show in recent memory. Nothing else comes close.
“I am amazed week after week how the writers and production crew can come up with such brilliant situations, twists and turns, and make it seem so frighteningly real, so close to all of us.”
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The Unit can be found on Great! Action, Freeview channel 42