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	Sep. 30, 2021		Jun. 30, 2021	Mar. 31, 2021	Jun. 30, 2020	Mar. 31, 2020	Aug. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2021
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 32,846	$ 65,574	$ 163,248						$ 276,957	$ 418,202
Expenses:
Operating costs	19,515	38,720	99,188						237,546	244,494
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization	7,467	17,919	15,294						115,496	49,169
Impairments	13,237	16,572	0						867,814	0
Loss on abandonment of assets	0	1,179	0						18,733	0
General and administrative	1,582	5,399	5,126						42,766	18,046
Loss on disposition of assets	(222)	(1,356)	(4,031)						(89)	(6,213)
Total operating costs	41,579	78,433	115,577						1,282,266	305,496
Income (loss) from operations	(8,733)	(12,859)	47,671						(1,005,309)	112,706
Interest, net	(826)	(1,959)	(702)						(22,824)	(3,895)
Write-off of debt issuance costs	0	0	0						(2,426)	0
Gain (loss) on derivatives	3,939	(4,250)	(39,742)						(10,704)	(104,973)
Reorganization Items	(1,155)	141,002	(971)						133,975	(3,959)
Other, net	39	1,931	(7)						2,034	(762)
Income (loss) before income taxes	(6,736)	123,865	(2,805)						(905,254)	(13,511)
Income tax expense (benefit)	0	(4,750)	0						(14,630)	0
Equity in net earnings from investment in subsidiaries, net of taxes		0							0
Net income (loss)	(6,736)	128,615	(2,805)	[1]	$ (10,115)	$ (591)	$ (215,565)	$ (803,674)	(890,624)	(13,511)
Less: net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest	2,232	73,484	(9,100)						40,388	(4,875)
Net loss attributable to Unit Corporation	$ (8,968)	55,131	$ 6,295						(931,012)	$ (8,636)
Consolidating Adjustments [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Revenues		(4,205)							(14,536)
Expenses:
Operating costs		(4,206)							(14,537)
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization		0							0
Impairments		0							0
Loss on abandonment of assets		0							0
General and administrative		0							0
Loss on disposition of assets		0							0
Total operating costs		(4,206)							(14,537)
Income (loss) from operations		1							1
Interest, net		0							0
Write-off of debt issuance costs		0							0
Gain (loss) on derivatives		0							0
Reorganization Items		0							0
Other, net		0							0
Income (loss) before income taxes		1							1
Income tax expense (benefit)		0							0
Equity in net earnings from investment in subsidiaries, net of taxes		250,659							1,241,120
Net income (loss)		250,660							1,241,121
Less: net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest		(73,484)							(40,388)
Net loss attributable to Unit Corporation		324,144							1,281,509
Parent [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Revenues		0							0
Expenses:
Operating costs		0							0
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization		341							1,819
Impairments		0							0
Loss on abandonment of assets		0							0
General and administrative		0							0
Loss on disposition of assets		0							1,479
Total operating costs		341							3,298
Income (loss) from operations		(341)							(3,298)
Interest, net		(1,131)							(20,936)
Write-off of debt issuance costs		0							(2,426)
Gain (loss) on derivatives		(4,250)							(10,704)
Reorganization Items		380,178							373,151
Other, net		68							79
Income (loss) before income taxes		374,524							335,866
Income tax expense (benefit)		(4,750)							(14,630)
Equity in net earnings from investment in subsidiaries, net of taxes		(250,659)							(1,241,120)
Net income (loss)		128,615							(890,624)
Less: net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest		73,484							40,388
Net loss attributable to Unit Corporation		55,131							(931,012)
Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Revenues		35,647							176,962
Expenses:
Operating costs		21,307							171,476
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization		10,828							84,306
Impairments		16,572							803,852
Loss on abandonment of assets		1,179							18,733
General and administrative		5,399							42,766
Loss on disposition of assets		(1,353)							(1,550)
Total operating costs		53,932							1,119,583
Income (loss) from operations		(18,285)							(942,621)
Interest, net		0							0
Write-off of debt issuance costs		0							0
Gain (loss) on derivatives		0							0
Reorganization Items		(168,160)							(168,160)
Other, net		1,853							1,906
Income (loss) before income taxes		(184,592)							(1,108,875)
Income tax expense (benefit)		0							0
Equity in net earnings from investment in subsidiaries, net of taxes		0							0
Net income (loss)		(184,592)							(1,108,875)
Less: net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest		0							0
Net loss attributable to Unit Corporation		(184,592)							(1,108,875)
Combined Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Revenues		34,132							114,531
Expenses:
Operating costs		21,619							80,607
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization		6,750							29,371
Impairments		0							63,962
Loss on abandonment of assets		0							0
General and administrative		0							0
Loss on disposition of assets		(3)							(18)
Total operating costs		28,366							173,922
Income (loss) from operations		5,766							(59,391)
Interest, net		(828)							(1,888)
Write-off of debt issuance costs		0							0
Gain (loss) on derivatives		0							0
Reorganization Items		(71,016)							(71,016)
Other, net		10							49
Income (loss) before income taxes		(66,068)							(132,246)
Income tax expense (benefit)		0							0
Equity in net earnings from investment in subsidiaries, net of taxes		0							0
Net income (loss)		(66,068)							(132,246)
Less: net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest		73,484							40,388
Net loss attributable to Unit Corporation		$ (139,552)							$ (172,634)

[1] Includes a one-time adjustment to correct an error discovered in our second quarter 2021 allocation of earnings from consolidated subsidiaries, as described in Note 2 - Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies.