Special Unit 2
Tags: paranormal

Plot synopsis:
"Links" are the common monsters from folklore and mythology (except vampires, whose existence is specifically identified as preposterous), and are described as being the missing link between apes and humans (although other human-like species have evolved, for instance gargoyles, who are identified as humanoid descendants of dinosaurs). They live in hiding and/or disguise among the human population. On occasions when Links are seen by humans, they are usually dismissed as hallucinations or optical illusions, except by those who are especially perceptive. Special Unit 2 is the top-secret division of the Chicago police specifically designated to handle Link-related cases. Other units of the police department are specifically ordered to stay out of Special Unit 2's way, which provides a great deal of leeway and access for cases.
Detective Nick O'Malley (Michael Landes) and his newly assigned partner, Detective Kate Benson (Alexondra Lee), are the two central characters. Nick is a maverick veteran in Special Unit 2. His initially callous, jaded and at times cruel demeanor is revealed to be a result of guilt over the loss of his previous partner; Julie. A criminal called The Chameleon cut her up into "600 inch-sized cubes". (It would later be revealed that Nick and Julie were having a secret affair.) Kate is one of the rare individuals who acknowledge the existence of Links instead of finding a more acceptable (albeit incorrect) explanation for the traditionally unexplained phenomena that they cause. Her refusal to deny her observations jeopardizes her career as a police officer and estranges her from her fellow officers. Kate's tenacity and conviction leads to her recruitment by Special Unit 2.
Supporting characters include Captain Richard Page (Richard Gant), SU2's commanding officer with a prosthetic metal hand that serves as the focus of running gags. The unit's liaison with the Link community is Carl (Danny Woodburn), a verbally aggressive gnome known for kleptomania and armed robbery, who is mutually antagonistic towards Nick. Nick and Carl's love-hate relationship contributes some of the humor within the fantasy universe of the show. Carl is completely invincible to everything but a diamond-coated saw and dragon fire/teeth.
Other members of the unit are the technical experts, who provide background, research and technology on various Links. Initially the primary technician is the acerbic Link biologist Sean Radmon (Sean Whalen), succeeded in Season 2 by Jonathan (Jonathan Togo), SU2's obsessively enthusiastic technician who analyzes Link evidence and produces a seemingly endless stream of Link-related inventions with positive glee. Another recurring character introduced in Season 2, is Alice Cramer (Pauley Perrette), who is the Unit's public relations person and acts to convince the press and witnesses that the crimes and strange events committed by Links are merely toxic spills, mass hallucinations, drugged out street gangers, etc. Another recurring character is Jerry (Mike Rad), someone who drifts from job to job and occasionally encounters Links. (For example, in the first episode, Carl attempted to stick him up at the store he was working at.)
The unit further maintains secrecy by hiding the physical location of the unit's headquarters behind the facade of a Chinese laundry. The detectives drive unmarked cars and utilize sophisticated weaponry and technology to deal with Link threats.
A partial list of Links encountered by SU2 in the course of the episodes include a trash-talking Gargoyle, the scheming Pied Piper posing as a children's television host, the homicidal Sandman, Jack The Ripper and deadly snake-haired Medusa, all revealed to be criminals in these particular cases. Most of the monsters are portrayed as behaving rather human-like, forming urban communities.

Review: Well, Special Unit 2 was canceled in 02/2002.
It was one of the most creative and funny shows to come across the small screen in some time.
The quick witted, sharp tongued characters were the perfect match for the utter "campy-ness" of the show's premise.
Let's hope UPN decides to bring this one back..
Special Unit 2 at first seems like it might be a plain old rip-off show with just smart-ass characters and big ass guns and cheesy monsters.
Special Unit 2 is actually a refreshing and unique show that UPN should be proud of.
Nick O'Malley may seem like the typical badass good guy, when he is that but so much more.
He dispels that formulaic theme in no time when he shows he is supporting the family of his deceased partner from 2 years prior.
Kate Benson is another character we care about as well, who has the ability to see past things normal don't do.
She grew up being looked down upon for her ability to look past the obvious and what lurks beneath the surface and that's how she finds herself in Special Unit 2.
She is a true good cop but quickly learns being by the book won't solve cases all the time.
The cast of this show clearly has the best chemistry I've seen on a show in recent memory.
The special effects are brilliant and so are the production values and art direction.
Special Unit 2 works on many different levels from the acting to the creature effects.
There is more to Special Unit 2 than just an elite monster fighting team concept.
It has a heart and special magic that makes it work that I haven't seen on many shows in recent memory.
Special Unit 2 is worth a chance to see Alexondra Lee, Michael Landes, Richard Gant, and Danny Woodburn show their talents.
Special Unit 2 is worth a look and some of your videotape!.
The producers decided to cancel the show.I believe the name of the RPG was "Bureau 13", I was also told that the writers had played the game when they were younger.They probably forgot where they got the idea for the show (I least I hope it was accidental.)Dave.
I loved the shots going from the street, thru the back of the dry cleaners and down the stairs to the units secret headquarters.
You saw those shots more often during the shows original short term run when Sean Whalen played resident historian on the show.
He can act, he's got great comic timing and he's got the wise-cracking, smart-aleck persona down-pat.
Although he had great chemistry with the curvy, tough yet vulnerable "Kate", he seemed to have even more so with Carl the gnome.
Probably the same thing they were thinking when they canceled NOWHERE MAN, one of the best and most mysterious shows EVER.
Anyway I hope to one day be able to either tape these shows off of cable or buy their collections.
Well-written, playful, and original sci-fi series.
Headquarters of Special Unit 2 is in the back of a dry-cleaning store, perhaps a tribute to Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Turns out he's a genuine "gnome", and an important part of Special Unit 2.
Reminds me a bit of the "leaky universes" theme that ran through many of Clifford Simak's sci-fi novels, weird things showing up where they're not expected.
Here, though, anything goes, and the police of Special Unit 2 just deal with it, muddling through as best they can, although with a lot of help and guidance from our friendly gnome.Fans of the original Star Trek who remember how they introduced a new critter or two almost each week, and fans of the original Star Wars bar scene, probably would enjoy something here.I hope they can keep it up.
If they cheap out on the writing, or run out of ideas for new and funny villains, it could go downhill rapidly.
Well, I was so disappointed in UPN for cancelling this show only to replace it with 2 half hour teen angst shows just like a dozen others out there.
However, in a very short time the characters had started to really come together and take on a life of their own.
The show got funnier and better each week.Just when O'Malley and Carl were starting to become a solid team, UPN pulled the plug.
I would watch every episode, it was so GOOD!
It's to bad they canceled the show, I thought it was a great hit, and I miss.
It's all about mixing together a cast of excellent actors, good scripts, nice effects, and, to top it all off, truly witty dialogue.
Still Watching It. I started watching SU2 on the first night it aired..saw all 19 episodes...recently bought it on DVD from Ebay.
great show..as the other commenter said, there was great chemistry between the two stars..unfortunate we never saw them get together..Carl the Gnome was hilarious and so was Jonathan Togo.
great monsters and special effects, the plots were strong and believable.
too bad i haven't seen Alexondra Lee or Michael Landes in anything recently.
I realy enjoyed watching this programme late at night while I was in bed, and then they went and canceled it.this tv show was one of the best programmes I have seen in a long time, It always kept me entertained.9/10.
Talented, attractive ladies like Alexondra Lee, for example, might fade while less deserving people thrive.
Fortunately Michael Landes, who was perfectly cast for the lead in SP2 has prevailed.As for those who do not see the quality in a show like this, one that had fine production values and very witty dialog, cleverly cartoonish villains and a good cast their observations reveal the level of their aesthetic acuity and level of intelligence so no further commentary is required.
It's hoped that the well deserved re-runs on Sci Fi Channel will somehow bring this show back on the air..
Special Unit 2 was one of the greatest televison shows I can recall ever watching.
I am broken hearted that UPN has chosen to cancel such a highly ranked TV series!
Special Unit 2 contained humor, action, and suspense...all the qualities an excellent televison series must contain.
My only desire is for another network to begin airing Special Unit 2..
Upn, please bring back Special Unit 2.
The very first episode that I saw of "Special Unit 2" I was already addicted to the show.
It was a whole new ballgame compared to "Men in Black." Why did Upn have to cancel the show?
One episode that I remember almost crying because they showed the aliens that killed Nick's first love.
Upn, if you are reading this...please bring back Special Unit 2.
First TV series to catch my attention in a long time.
Wonderful cast with great chemistry between them.
Interesting well thought out monsters with darn good looks to them.
Fun to watch arty cinematography, great soundtracks (2 things I don't usually notice in a TV show), lighthearted humorous scriptwriting and beautiful male and female leads.
Michael Landes fits into his character, Nick O'Malley, excellently.
Alexondra Lee does a great job as the rookie who really did see what she thought she saw all those years.
I'm always leery of knockoffs and was convinced that SU2 was an X-Files wannabe, but the first episode proved me wrong.From the aforementioned fully appropriate rollicking rock music between scenes to the group chemistry in the Unit to the creepy creature sneaking food and cigarettes at headquarters hidden under an Asian dry cleaners, this is clearly nothing like the X-Files.
It's similar to Men In Black, but instead of hunting down stray aliens, the Unit finds and kills links, all manner of beings between humans and animals which tend to hunt humans.In the two subsequent episodes, the leads got more comfortable in their roles and the story lines were just as engrossing and fun as the first.
I'm excited about this series and hope that it lasts a good, long time..
Fresh new series with a great sense of humor.
Despite what other comments have stated, it is not Men in Black the live action series, as the subjects are links, not aliens.
It is a great idea for a show that the missing links have been identified and they are on the rampage in Chicago.
The chemistry is great between the leads, and anything involving Carl the gnome and his theft habits is hilarious.
The best episodes are the ones where the leads are under the influence of a link, and they are not themselves.
It shows what great actors the producers chose for the series, as they demonstrate their amazing versatility.
The effects are great, and the production is much better than some of the series on tv.
This only had a short season of 19 episodes but it was a good one.
Unfortunately like so many decent SciFi series it was canceled.
I hope that like the short lived "Threshold" they will put this series on DVD..
Special Unit 2 DVD online purchase.
Anyone know where i can purchase Special Unit 2 DVD online?This TV series was also telecast in Singapore back in 2002/2003, Managed to see a couple of episodes but was shock that it was canned after Season 2.
Storyline was simple Good couple of character development episodes, Villains based on myths we heard all the time, Actions was Great, if you remember Season 1 episode 3 "The Wraps" or Season 1 episode 2 "The Pack".
Hope you do think of starting a new series..
A really fun show about a secret police unit that hunts down things like goblins, demons and succubi.
The leads had a lot of good chemistry and the guy who played Mickey on Seinfield stole every scene he was in.
When I first saw the show I didn't really like it, but the more episodes I watched the more addicted I got.
However, the show was mainly a developing ground for creator Evan Katz, who would learn from it and go on to create, produce and write the classic "24."Good parts: great special effects and a good supporting cast, namely Danny Woodburn as Carl the Gnome, always trying to pull off the big heist while not violating parole; Jonathan Togo in his first acting gig and a few years before becoming Ryan Wolfe on 141 episodes and counting of "CSI: Miami", and Pauley Perrette, already a seasoned veteran but is interesting here as Alice Kramer, with blonde bobbed hair, slinky outfits and bare skin with not a single tattoo.Bad parts: Clichéd characters.
Alexondra Lee's Det. Kate Benson is a beautiful cop with a lot of repressed sexual feelings.
Richard Gant as Captain Page was one of the most stilted characters I've seen on TV in a long time as the token black cop who stays in the office.In brief, Special Unit 2 is a section of the Chicago Police Department that handles supernatural incidents.
Woodburn was always comical at the right time, except when playing against Gant's woodenness.UPN didn't have a big budget for the show and cast the best people it could get.
Low budgets have been sci-fi shows' greatest threats.Katz had a great story and had written all of the episodes.
What he did not have were great actors who could believably pull off the lead characters.
Landres went on to the kind of episodic TV guest shots one uses to pay the bills, while Lee disappeared from TV after a guest spot on "CSI" in 2006.
Lee seemed uncomfortable in the role."SU2" aired for one full season and a few shows of a second season before UPN pulled the plug.
Unfortunately, the concept was almost identical to "Bureau 13," a role- playing game and series of novels by Nick Pollotta in 1991 centered around a secret unit of the FBI that investigates paranormal and supernatural criminals.Chris Carter acknowledged the material when he created "X Files" and Steven Spielberg did the same when he came up with "Men in Black." For some reason, UPN and Katz didn't nor would they respond to Pollotta's calls.UPN pulled the plug on the show, perhaps sensing that it would not win a plagiarism lawsuit.Too bad for people all the way around..
Special Unit 2 is interesting and all that, even if it is derivative of Men In Black.
As a former resident of Chicago, I enjoy seeing films and shows set there, but only when they're REALLY there.
I expected a great new show along the lines of Men in Black, X-Files, and Kolchak: The Night Stalker.
The story plods along so slowly that I guess the music is there to wake us up that a scene is changing.This show could be so much more, but until the producers stop catering to the pubescent generation, it will fall aside as so many other great shows have that did not properly target their audience demographic.I changed the channel about half way through the show, during a LOUD ROCK MUSIC filler scene.I give it a 2 out of 10 for the first episode.
Don't really watch the episodes for it's unrealistic and unbelievable plots, yet view it for the pretty and attractive eye candy treatment of Alexondra Lee..
I had missed this series the first time around back in 2001 and 2002 when it ran originally on the UPN network.
Over the last couple of years from time to time I've caught various episodes on the Sci Fi cable channel when they have ran day long marathons.
Still even if your a sci fiction fan still most episodes are a little enjoyable the way it's spiced and mixed up with tales of vampires, monsters, dreams, supernatural, and closet creatures.The setting is in the windy city of Chicago, IL it involves a police unit and each episode has it's focus on two detective partners the team of Nick O' Malley(Michael Landes)and Kate Benson(the attractive and cute Alexondra Lee).
And episodes feature the chase of monsters and it involves supernatural occurrences.
I even remember one episode where Kate(Alexondra Lee)has a damsel in distress scene as she is tied up and gagged along with two other females one being an African American the other an Asian chick.
I must say really the best part of the show is the treat of seeing the attractiveness and nice beauty of Alexondra Lee certainly she's some sexy eye candy!
Still even for a sci fiction fan it's fantasy mixture is tasty enough to watch, still those are only appetizers the real treat and best reason to watch this show is the beautiful and cute attractive Alexondra Lee. I just wonder where Alexondra is I would love to see her in something again and I hope it's soon.
Still catch some episodes of this sci fiction show if you can if anything Alexondra Lee will make your day!.
Silliness' Special Unit !.
(Special Unit 2) was no exception.
However (Special Unit 2) wasn't the strongest in this, or a strong when it comes to make a comic Sci-Fi show.
Among (Evan Katz)'s other works as a co-writer and a co-producer like (Seven Days) before or (24) later this must be a low point !.
And truly, it would be one of the rarest times to be thankful for the cancellation of a show after 19 episodes of it only !.
Poor acting, even worse writing....After watching the first two episodes I was wondering why it ever made it to season two.
The special effects are simply sad - so much better has been made in the same time-frame - where is the money going on this one?
The first episode starts out interesting then goes downhill fast - the precept of the whole show is just silly.
Great casting!
ALL of this is Special Unit 2.
ALL of this is Special Unit 2.
Too bad X_files fans and gamers see a resemblance to the shows they covet.
Special Unit 2 was FRESH, INVITING, COMIC, DARING and, hell, yes!
It is a variation of themes that we all love and to COMPARE it to others is not doing it justice.It sits just fine in my top list of Sci-Fi shows and I really can't care about why it was canceled.
Special Unit 2 was a great show that got canned because the executives at UPN decided that.
When was the last time UPN called you asking what shows you wanted to see.
some SMART and brilliant writer will revive the show, buck the X-File yahoos an the "comparison" people and go a-new, but, that is not the way the industry seems to work!
It's quite obvious why this show was canceled, although, like most UPN shows, I never knew it even existed until it was in syndicated re-runs.Most of it's plots seemed to be copied from other shows and movies, leading me to think the producers didn't have an original idea in their heads.
The special effect were not bad for a 2001 show.The gnome was a nice character..
Far from being a copyright infringement against the role playing game "Bureau 13," which wasn't even a TV entertainment program, SU2 could more likely have been considered to have been a ripoff of "Painkiller Jane," a really hot SF Channel Action Adventure show.Agent "Painkiller Jane" Vasco, along with her covert government unit, must track down and contain the spread of "Neuros"  genetically altered humans who possess extraordinary, and often deadly, neurological powers.Detective Kate Benson, along with her covert Chicago Police Department unit, must track down and contain (or kill) "Links"  genetically arrested creatures existing between pre-humans and humans who possess extraordinary, and often deadly, neurological powers.Certainly no similarities there.
Could SU2 have been a ripoff of "Painkiller Jane?" Not likely, since "Painkiller Jane" started airing 5 years after SU2.So, could SU2 have been a ripoff of "Bureau 13"?