Supplemental Condensed Consolidated Financial Information (Condensed Consolidating Statements of Income) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended		2 Months Ended		3 Months Ended						8 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020		Aug. 31, 2020		Jun. 30, 2020	Mar. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019		Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2020		Sep. 30, 2019
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 32,846	[1]	$ 65,574	[1]			$ 155,439	[1]			$ 276,957	[1]	$ 510,276
Expenses:
Operating costs	19,515		38,720				92,653				237,546		294,164
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization	7,467		17,919				70,214				115,496		198,632
Impairments	13,237		16,572				234,880				867,814		234,880
Loss on abandonment of assets	0		1,179				0				18,733		0
General and administrative	1,582		5,399				10,094				42,766		29,899
Loss on disposition of assets	(222)		(1,356)				231				(89)		1,424
Total operating costs	41,579		78,433				408,072				1,282,266		758,999
Income (loss) from operations	(8,733)		(12,859)				(252,633)				(1,005,309)		(248,723)
Interest, net	(826)		(1,959)				(9,534)				(22,824)		(27,067)
Write off of debt issuance cost	0		0								(2,426)		0
Gain (loss) on derivatives	3,939		(4,250)				4,237				(10,704)		5,232
Reorganization Items	(1,155)		141,002				0				133,975		0
Other, net	39		1,931				(622)				2,034		(611)
Income (loss) before income taxes	(6,736)		123,865				(258,552)				(905,254)		(271,169)
Income tax expense (benefit)	0		(4,750)				(50,763)				(14,630)		(53,081)
Equity in net earnings from investment in subsidiaries, net of taxes			0				0				0		0
Net Income (loss)	(6,736)		128,615		$ (215,565)	$ (803,674)	(207,789)		$ (8,017)	$ (2,282)	(890,624)		(218,088)
Less: net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest	2,232		73,484				(903)				40,388		811
Net loss attributable to Unit Corporation	$ (8,968)		55,131				(206,886)				(931,012)		(218,899)
Consolidating Adjustments [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Revenues			(4,205)				(9,817)				(14,536)		(53,001)
Expenses:
Operating costs			(4,206)				(9,904)				(14,537)		(51,374)
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization			0				0				0		0
Impairments			0				0				0		0
Loss on abandonment of assets			0								0
General and administrative			0				0				0		0
Loss on disposition of assets			0				0				0		0
Total operating costs			(4,206)				(9,904)				(14,537)		(51,374)
Income (loss) from operations			1				87				1		(1,627)
Interest, net			0				0				0		0
Write off of debt issuance cost			0								0
Gain (loss) on derivatives			0				0				0		0
Reorganization Items			0								0
Other, net			0				0				0		0
Income (loss) before income taxes			1				87				1		(1,627)
Income tax expense (benefit)			0				0				0		0
Equity in net earnings from investment in subsidiaries, net of taxes			250,659				202,090				1,241,120		198,945
Net Income (loss)			250,660				202,177				1,241,121		197,318
Less: net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest			(73,484)				0				(40,388)		0
Net loss attributable to Unit Corporation			324,144				202,177				1,281,509		197,318
Parent [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Revenues			0				0				0		0
Expenses:
Operating costs			0				0				0		0
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization			341				1,935				1,819		5,804
Impairments			0				0				0		0
Loss on abandonment of assets			0								0
General and administrative			0				0				0		0
Loss on disposition of assets			0				(1)				1,479		(11)
Total operating costs			341				1,934				3,298		5,793
Income (loss) from operations			(341)				(1,934)				(3,298)		(5,793)
Interest, net			(1,131)				(9,086)				(20,936)		(25,938)
Write off of debt issuance cost			0								(2,426)
Gain (loss) on derivatives			(4,250)				4,237				(10,704)		5,232
Reorganization Items			380,178								373,151
Other, net			68				5				79		16
Income (loss) before income taxes			374,524				(6,778)				335,866		(26,483)
Income tax expense (benefit)			(4,750)				(1,982)				(14,630)		(6,529)
Equity in net earnings from investment in subsidiaries, net of taxes			(250,659)				(202,090)				(1,241,120)		(198,945)
Net Income (loss)			128,615				(206,886)				(890,624)		(218,899)
Less: net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest			73,484				0				40,388		0
Net loss attributable to Unit Corporation			55,131				(206,886)				(931,012)		(218,899)
Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Revenues			35,647				116,671				176,962		389,553
Expenses:
Operating costs			21,307				66,534				171,476		211,836
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization			10,828				56,432				84,306		157,153
Impairments			16,572				232,615				803,852		232,615
Loss on abandonment of assets			1,179								18,733
General and administrative			5,399				10,094				42,766		29,899
Loss on disposition of assets			(1,353)				260				(1,550)		1,571
Total operating costs			53,932				365,935				1,119,583		633,074
Income (loss) from operations			(18,285)				(249,264)				(942,621)		(243,521)
Interest, net			0				0				0		0
Write off of debt issuance cost			0								0
Gain (loss) on derivatives			0				0				0		0
Reorganization Items			(168,160)								(168,160)
Other, net			1,853				(627)				1,906		(627)
Income (loss) before income taxes			(184,592)				(249,891)				(1,108,875)		(244,148)
Income tax expense (benefit)			0				(48,781)				0		(46,552)
Equity in net earnings from investment in subsidiaries, net of taxes			0				0				0		0
Net Income (loss)			(184,592)				(201,110)				(1,108,875)		(197,596)
Less: net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest			0				0				0		0
Net loss attributable to Unit Corporation			(184,592)				(201,110)				(1,108,875)		(197,596)
Combined Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Revenues			34,132				48,585				114,531		173,724
Expenses:
Operating costs			21,619				36,023				80,607		133,702
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization			6,750				11,847				29,371		35,675
Impairments			0				2,265				63,962		2,265
Loss on abandonment of assets			0								0
General and administrative			0				0				0		0
Loss on disposition of assets			(3)				(28)				(18)		(136)
Total operating costs			28,366				50,107				173,922		171,506
Income (loss) from operations			5,766				(1,522)				(59,391)		2,218
Interest, net			(828)				(448)				(1,888)		(1,129)
Write off of debt issuance cost			0								0
Gain (loss) on derivatives			0				0				0		0
Reorganization Items			(71,016)								(71,016)
Other, net			10				0				49		0
Income (loss) before income taxes			(66,068)				(1,970)				(132,246)		1,089
Income tax expense (benefit)			0				0				0		0
Equity in net earnings from investment in subsidiaries, net of taxes			0				0				0		0
Net Income (loss)			(66,068)				(1,970)				(132,246)		1,089
Less: net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest			73,484				(903)				40,388		811
Net loss attributable to Unit Corporation			$ (139,552)				$ (1,067)				$ (172,634)		$ 278

[1] The revenues for oil and natural gas occur at a point in time. The revenues for contract drilling and gas gathering and processing occur over time.