‘THE UNIT” is the perfect storm.
Every element — a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright penning scripts, a charismatic central character and the optimal lead-in, “NCIS,” — comes together in all the right ways.
This finely honed drama about an elite group of military men and their wives has playwright David Mamet and “The Shield” creator Shawn Ryan at the helm.
Mamet, who couldn’t attend a press event promoting the show, instead wrote:
“I never did TV before because no one would have me, save one episode of ‘Hill Street Blues.’ I’m doing this show because of a happy coincidence in the working lives of Shawn Ryan and Eric Haney and myself. The military form is, in my estimation, one of the universal staples of drama. See Homer, Shakespeare, John Wayne, et cetera. Doing TV is just like doing movies while skiing.”
Is it any wonder actors love working with Mamet?
But for my money, blending the talents of Mamet and Ryan, who is no slouch in the writing or creative department either, was genius. Mamet penned the first script, which allows the actors to concentrate on their characters rather than spend energy on making a bad script good.
There’s also the confidence of a good writer who allows the actors to be non-verbal at times. A scene, which has been played in the previews, has three of the main actors striding down a tarmac, looking like gunslingers who just finished off the bad guys.
And that they did.
The raw reality of the series owes a debt to retired Army officer Eric L. Haney, the series’ technical adviser whose book “Inside Delta Force” inspired the series. Much of Haney’s own exploits were used as material for the series.
One of the storylines in “The Unit” has a commanding officer engaged in an affair with a military wife. Although Haney says it’s not common for members of a unit to have affairs with the wives of others in the group, it did happen once in his unit, and “I wanted it in to let the yahoos know that they didn’t completely get away with it.”
San Mateo native Dennis Haysbert, best known as President David Palmer in “24,” takes command as the leader of the special forces team that goes where no one else dares. Haysbert has a track record of playing vibrant, ethical characters. This one is no exception.
As Jonas Blane, he leads the unit on missions. His commanding officer is Col. Tom Ryan (Robert Patrick), a man who can step over the line as long as he justifies his actions to himself.
Serving in Blane’s unit is new recruit Bob Brown (Scott Foley), veteran Mack Gerhardt (Max Martini), Charles Grey (Michael Irby) and Hector Williams (Demore Barnes).
Minding “The Unit” home fires is phenomenal actress Regina Taylor (“I’ll Fly Away”) as Jonas’ wife Molly. The two share a healthy loving relationship in the midst of this pressure cooker world.
On base, it’s all “Desperate Housewives” without the wacky humor.
Brown’s wife Kim (Audrey Marie Anderson) seems rather clueless for a career military wife, but she begins to get on her game in later episodes. Gerhardt’s wife Tiffy (Abby Brammell) earns her battle scars at home with a highly charged husband and a potentially explosive outlet for her marital problems.
If there’s any criticism of the first script, it would be that the women, which means the wives in this macho drama, aren’t quite as well served by the writing.
That changes in future episodes, especially with Taylor boldly asserting herself as the supportive wife and pragmatic one the other wives look to for guidance.
It’s going to be tough going on Tuesday night, with this series going head-to-head with “House.” Thank goodness for DVRs.
“Sons & Daughters”
9 tonight, back-to-back episodes
ABC-Channel 7
In this semi-scripted comedy, the humor comes from real life.
Fred Gross (“Significant Others”) stars in this hybrid series that mixes improvisation with a bare-bones script for a comedy that rejects punchlines for conversational banter.
The result is a comedy that often hits a nerve more times than the funny bone.
Gross, who co-created the series with Nick Holly, serves as the focal point as Cameron, an everyman who lives a basic middle-American life in the middle-class in the Midwest.
Cameron is happily married to his second wife Liz (Gillian Vigman), and they have three children. His resentful son Henry (Trevor Einhorn) from his first marriage has recently moved in and isn’t adjusting as well as Cameron might have hoped.
Further complicating his life is his sister Sharon (Alison Quinn), who seems happy enough yet is in a sexless marriage with her husband Don (Jerry Lambert). You’ll hear and see a lot about the sexual frustration of Sharon — whether you want to or not.
Stepsister Jenna (Amanda Walsh) is the former popular girl in high school who now finds herself a single mother working as a waitress. Still in her life is her son’s father Tommy White, aka Whitey (Greg Pitts), a popular guy in high school who has yet to get beyond his glory days.
And then there are the parents, Colleen (Dee Wallace) and Wendal (Max Gail), who have a few issues of their own, including Wendal not knowing whether he wants to spend another 25 years with Colleen.
Owing as much to “Seinfeld” as “Arrested Development,” this series has a different look and feel to it. Unfortunately, it will be tough going up against the quirky and more established “Scrubs.”
It’s a hard night to be competitive, but for those looking for humor that hits home, “Sons & Daughters” is just the ticket.
If you have any questions about TV, you can reach columnist Susan Young by calling (925) 416-4820, e-mail at syoung@angnewspapers.com, or fax at (925) 416-4874.
