Supplemental Condensed Consolidated Financial Information (Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Jun. 30, 2020	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 36,994		$ 571	$ 669		$ 6,452
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts		54,146		82,656
Materials and supplies		110		449
Current derivative asset		0		633
Current income taxes receivable		850		1,756
Assets held for sale		0		5,908
Prepaid expenses and other		16,659		13,078
Total current assets		108,759		105,051
Oil and natural gas properties on the full cost method:
Proved properties		6,566,669		6,341,582
Unproved properties not being amortized		30,342		252,874
Drilling equipment		1,296,319		1,295,713
Gas gathering and processing equipment		833,402		824,699
Saltwater disposal systems		43,843		69,692
Land and building		59,080		59,080
Transportation equipment		16,780		29,723
Other		58,036		57,992
Property, plant, and equipment, gross		8,904,471		8,931,355
Less accumulated depreciation, depletion, amortization, and impairment		7,903,051		6,978,669
Net property and equipment		1,001,420		1,952,686
Intercompany receivable		0		0
Investments		0		0
Operating right of use asset		7,828		5,673
Other assets		22,371		26,642
Total assets	[1]	1,140,378		2,090,052
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable		26,808		84,481
Accrued liabilities		31,384		46,562
Current operating lease liability		4,666		3,430
Current portion of long-term debt		124,000		108,200
DIP credit agreement with an average interest rate of 7.5% at June 30, 2020		8,000		0
Current derivative liability		5,011		0
Current portion of other long-term liabilities		13,628		17,376
Total current liabilities		213,497		260,049
Intercompany debt		0		0
Long-term debt		34,000		663,216
Non-current derivative liability		145		27
Operating lease liability		3,012		2,071
Liabilities subject to compromise		759,720		0
Deferred income taxes		4,750		13,713
Total shareholders' equity		40,532	$ 254,486	1,055,635	1,593,232	$ 1,595,859	1,593,444
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	[1]	1,140,378		2,090,052
Total other long-term liabilities		84,722		95,341
Consolidating Adjustments [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		0		0	0		0
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts		(5,290)		(9,447)
Materials and supplies		0		0
Current derivative asset				0
Current income taxes receivable		0		0
Assets held for sale				0
Prepaid expenses and other		0		0
Total current assets		(5,290)		(9,447)
Oil and natural gas properties on the full cost method:
Proved properties		0		0
Unproved properties not being amortized		0		0
Drilling equipment		0		0
Gas gathering and processing equipment		0		0
Saltwater disposal systems		0		0
Land and building		0		0
Transportation equipment		0		0
Other		0		0
Property, plant, and equipment, gross		0		0
Less accumulated depreciation, depletion, amortization, and impairment		0		0
Net property and equipment		0		0
Intercompany receivable		(853,800)		(1,048,785)
Investments		(15,106)		(865,252)
Operating right of use asset		(51)		(54)
Other assets		0		0
Total assets		(874,247)		(1,923,538)
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable		(2,576)		(7,291)
Accrued liabilities		(1,788)		(2,156)
Current operating lease liability		(6)		(6)
Current portion of long-term debt		0		0
DIP credit agreement with an average interest rate of 7.5% at June 30, 2020		0
Current derivative liability		0
Current portion of other long-term liabilities		(46)		0
Total current liabilities		(4,416)		(9,453)
Intercompany debt		(853,800)		(1,048,785)
Long-term debt		0		0
Non-current derivative liability		0		0
Operating lease liability		(45)		(48)
Liabilities subject to compromise		0
Deferred income taxes		0		0
Total shareholders' equity		(15,106)		(865,252)
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity		(874,247)		(1,923,538)
Total other long-term liabilities		(880)		0
Parent [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		13,214		503	508		403
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts		1,702		2,645
Materials and supplies		0		0
Current derivative asset				633
Current income taxes receivable		850		1,756
Assets held for sale				0
Prepaid expenses and other		6,575		2,019
Total current assets		22,341		7,556
Oil and natural gas properties on the full cost method:
Proved properties		0		0
Unproved properties not being amortized		0		0
Drilling equipment		0		0
Gas gathering and processing equipment		0		0
Saltwater disposal systems		0		0
Land and building		0		0
Transportation equipment		362		9,712
Other		29,005		28,927
Property, plant, and equipment, gross		29,367		38,639
Less accumulated depreciation, depletion, amortization, and impairment		27,888		33,794
Net property and equipment		1,479		4,845
Intercompany receivable		853,800		1,048,785
Investments		15,106		865,252
Operating right of use asset		34		46
Other assets		6,001		8,107
Total assets		898,761		1,934,591
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable		1,386		12,259
Accrued liabilities		14,267		28,003
Current operating lease liability		18		20
Current portion of long-term debt		124,000		108,200
DIP credit agreement with an average interest rate of 7.5% at June 30, 2020		8,000
Current derivative liability		5,011
Current portion of other long-term liabilities		0		3,003
Total current liabilities		152,682		151,485
Intercompany debt		0		0
Long-term debt		0		646,716
Non-current derivative liability		145		27
Operating lease liability		16		25
Liabilities subject to compromise		694,512
Deferred income taxes		4,750		68,150
Total shareholders' equity		40,532		1,055,635
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity		898,761		1,934,591
Total other long-term liabilities		6,124		12,553
Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		0		68	159		208
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts		37,216		64,805
Materials and supplies		110		449
Current derivative asset				0
Current income taxes receivable		0		0
Assets held for sale				5,908
Prepaid expenses and other		2,763		3,373
Total current assets		40,089		74,603
Oil and natural gas properties on the full cost method:
Proved properties		6,566,669		6,341,582
Unproved properties not being amortized		30,342		252,874
Drilling equipment		1,296,319		1,295,713
Gas gathering and processing equipment		0		0
Saltwater disposal systems		43,843		69,692
Land and building		59,080		59,080
Transportation equipment		13,055		16,621
Other		29,031		29,065
Property, plant, and equipment, gross		8,038,339		8,064,627
Less accumulated depreciation, depletion, amortization, and impairment		7,381,777		6,537,731
Net property and equipment		656,562		1,526,896
Intercompany receivable		0		0
Investments		0		0
Operating right of use asset		3,303		1,733
Other assets		10,316		9,094
Total assets		710,270		1,612,326
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable		18,018		61,002
Accrued liabilities		12,876		14,024
Current operating lease liability		2,136		1,009
Current portion of long-term debt		0		0
DIP credit agreement with an average interest rate of 7.5% at June 30, 2020		0
Current derivative liability		0
Current portion of other long-term liabilities		5,615		7,313
Total current liabilities		38,645		83,348
Intercompany debt		853,491		1,047,599
Long-term debt		0		0
Non-current derivative liability		0		0
Operating lease liability		1,130		690
Liabilities subject to compromise		65,208
Deferred income taxes		0		(54,437)
Total shareholders' equity		(323,703)		460,464
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity		710,270		1,612,326
Total other long-term liabilities		75,499		74,662
Combined Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		23,780		0	$ 2		$ 5,841
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts		20,518		24,653
Materials and supplies		0		0
Current derivative asset				0
Current income taxes receivable		0		0
Assets held for sale				0
Prepaid expenses and other		7,321		7,686
Total current assets		51,619		32,339
Oil and natural gas properties on the full cost method:
Proved properties		0		0
Unproved properties not being amortized		0		0
Drilling equipment		0		0
Gas gathering and processing equipment		833,402		824,699
Saltwater disposal systems		0		0
Land and building		0		0
Transportation equipment		3,363		3,390
Other		0		0
Property, plant, and equipment, gross		836,765		828,089
Less accumulated depreciation, depletion, amortization, and impairment		493,386		407,144
Net property and equipment		343,379		420,945
Intercompany receivable		0		0
Investments		0		0
Operating right of use asset		4,542		3,948
Other assets		6,054		9,441
Total assets		405,594		466,673
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable		9,980		18,511
Accrued liabilities		6,029		6,691
Current operating lease liability		2,518		2,407
Current portion of long-term debt		0		0
DIP credit agreement with an average interest rate of 7.5% at June 30, 2020		0
Current derivative liability		0
Current portion of other long-term liabilities		8,059		7,060
Total current liabilities		26,586		34,669
Intercompany debt		309		1,186
Long-term debt		34,000		16,500
Non-current derivative liability		0		0
Operating lease liability		1,911		1,404
Liabilities subject to compromise		0
Deferred income taxes		0		0
Total shareholders' equity		338,809		404,788
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity		405,594		466,673
Total other long-term liabilities		$ 3,979		$ 8,126

[1] Unit Corporation's consolidated total assets as of June 30, 2020 include total current and long-term assets of its variable interest entity (VIE) (Superior Pipeline Company, L.L.C.) of $49.8 million and $354.0 million, respectively, which can only settle obligations of the VIE. Unit Corporation's consolidated total liabilities as of June 30, 2020 include total current and long-term liabilities of the VIE of $25.2 million and $39.7 million, respectively, for which the creditors of the VIE have no recourse to Unit Corporation. Unit Corporation's consolidated total assets as of December 31, 2019 include total current and long-term assets of the VIE of $28.8 million and $434.3 million, respectively, which can only settle obligations of the VIE. Unit Corporation's consolidated total liabilities as of December 31, 2019 include total current and long-term liabilities of the VIE of $32.2 million and $26.0 million, respectively, for which the creditors of the VIE have no recourse to Unit Corporation. See Note 16 – Variable Interest Entity Arrangements.