| Unstable | |
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| Genre | Workplace comedy |
| Created by | Rob Lowe &John Owen Lowe &Victor Fresco |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
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| Running time | 20–30 minutes |
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| Network | Netflix |
| Release | March 30, 2023 (2023-03-30) – August 1, 2024 (2024-08-01) |
Unstable is an Americanworkplace comedy television series starringRob Lowe and his sonJohn Owen Lowe, with both also acting as executive producers on the series, along withVictor Fresco. The series premiered onNetflix on March 30, 2023. In November 2023, it was renewed for a second season which was released on August 1, 2024. In October 2024, the series was canceled after two seasons.
A father-son comedy in which socially shy son Jackson (John Owen Lowe) begins working for his successful, admired, but eccentric and narcissistic-adjacent father Ellis (Rob Lowe) at his high-tech bio research facility to help save him from spiraling further after the death of his wife.[1]
The show was picked up straight-to-series byNetflix and its formation was reportedly inspired by John Owen Lowe's social media trolling of his fatherRob Lowe.[2] John Owen Lowe described the series as "about a father-son dynamic that's very relatable but under a really specific lens, which is a father who loves being the center of attention and his son, who feels the exact opposite."[3]
It was announced in April 2022 that Rob and John Owen Lowe would both act as executive producers on the show along withVictor Fresco, with production handled by theNetflix studio.[4] In June 2022 the series addedSian Clifford to the cast alongsideRachel Marsh, Emma Ferreira, and Aaron Branch in series regular roles. Additionally,Fred Armisen, Tom Allen and JT Parr were announced in recurring roles.[5] On May 4, 2023, it was reported that the second season (yet to officially renew) of production has been shut down due to the writers' strike.[6] On November 16, 2023, the series was officially renewed for a second season with Andrew Gurland taking over as showrunner from Fresco, who was the showrunner for the first season for the eight-episode second series with production scheduled to begin in Los Angeles later that month.[7] The season wrapped filming in early February 2024.[8] On October 11, 2024, Netflix canceled the series.[9]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
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| 1 | 1 | "Unstable" | Marc Buckland | Teleplay by : Victor Fresco Story by :Rob Lowe &John Owen Lowe &Victor Fresco | March 30, 2023 (2023-03-30) | |
Eccentric Los Angeles biotech CEO Ellis Dragon suffers a mental decline following the death of his wife. His CFO Anna Bennet worries that his erratic behavior and loss of focus at work jeopardizes the company. She has Ellis' estranged son Jackson, an aspiring flautist living in New York, come to Los Angeles to help Ellis recover from his downward spiral. Jackson resents his father for disregarding his ambitions and pressuring him to be more like him. The two briefly reconcile during a company karaoke event, after which Jackson plans to return to New York, but he is forced to stay when Anna and Ellis reveal that Ellis has held his company-issued therapist captive in his basement for attempting to extort him. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Engaged, Focused and Ridiculously Sane" | Marc Buckland | Michael Shipley | March 30, 2023 (2023-03-30) | |
| 3 | 3 | "The Wizard of Odd" | Marc Buckland | Sean Clements | March 30, 2023 (2023-03-30) | |
| 4 | 4 | "Pilgrims and Sex Parties" | Jay Chandrasekhar | John Owen Lowe | March 30, 2023 (2023-03-30) | |
| 5 | 5 | "Beautiful Birthday Bastards" | Jay Chandrasekhar | Hailey Chavez | March 30, 2023 (2023-03-30) | |
| 6 | 6 | "The Ballad of Eduardo" | Marc Buckland | Sam Shanker | March 30, 2023 (2023-03-30) | |
| 7 | 7 | "Roasting For Beginners" | Marc Buckland | Bente Engelstoft | March 30, 2023 (2023-03-30) | |
| 8 | 8 | "A Dragon's Fire" | Marc Buckland | Michael A. Ross | March 30, 2023 (2023-03-30) | |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "Shanked" | Andrew Gurland | Andrew Gurland | August 1, 2024 (2024-08-01) |
| 10 | 2 | "Winning Time" | Claire Scanlon | Sean Clements | August 1, 2024 (2024-08-01) |
| 11 | 3 | "Retreat" | Claire Scanlon | Justin Nowell | August 1, 2024 (2024-08-01) |
| 12 | 4 | "Mindhunter" | Rebecca Asher | Guy Endore-Kaiser | August 1, 2024 (2024-08-01) |
| 13 | 5 | "MOCAP Man" | Rebecca Asher | Dominic Dierkes | August 1, 2024 (2024-08-01) |
| 14 | 6 | "Dragon Slayer" | Claire Scanlon | John Owen Lowe | August 1, 2024 (2024-08-01) |
| 15 | 7 | "Ron Tabasco" | Claire Scanlon | Samantha Shanker | August 1, 2024 (2024-08-01) |
| 16 | 8 | "Ellis U" | Andrew Gurland | Teleplay by : Alexandra Rushfield and Kate Loveless Story by : Alexandra Rushfield | August 1, 2024 (2024-08-01) |
The eight episodes ofUnstable were released on March 30, 2023.[10][11] The second season was released on August 1, 2024.[12]
Thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes reported a 67% approval rating with an average rating of 6.3/10, based on 18 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Unstable is a little wobbly as it veers between sincere family affair and scathing satire, butRob Lowe's reliable comedic chops provide the necessary ballast."[13]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 68 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]
Robert Lloyd ofLos Angeles Times called the show an "adorable workplace comedy that's odd enough to feel fresh and traditional enough to feel good."[15] Angie Han forThe Hollywood Reporter said "it's very, very funny, thanks to a crackling combination of sharp writing, lovably eccentric characters and snappy comedic timing."[16]
