Netflix recently announced the development of a new scripted father-son comedy, starring…you guessed it! A father and son. Unstable comes to us from Rob Lowe, his writer, producer, actor son John Owen Lowe (The Grinder, Holiday in the Wild), and producer Victor Fresco (Santa Clarita Diet, Sean Saves the World). Rob Lowe is a great, versatile actor with a distinguished list of credits across four decades, and it seems he is only gaining steam every year.

The actor is recognizable from his diverse list of roles in films such as Tommy Boy, Wayne’s World, Youngblood, St. Elmo’s Fire, and The Outsiders, as well as acclaimed and sometimes niche and bold television shows like The West Wing, Parks and Recreation, The Orville, Wild Bill, and The Grinder. He also hosts an Office Ladies-style podcast called Parks and Recollection, a reminiscent series about the production of NBC’s Parks and Rec, on which he played the endearing health nut, Chris Traeger.

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Indeed, Lowe is one of the most prolific actors working in Hollywood. For decades, he has been a hilarious, heartwarming, and sometimes heart-wrenching presence, a powerful actor clearly in it for the craft rather than the glory. All you have to do is watch 30 seconds of Chris Traeger to realize this man deserves all the praise for his skill. Lowe can carry serious, moody drama like West Wing and has never been one to shy away from slapstick, physical comedy, like you would see in Tommy Boy or Wayne’s World. He is so versatile that it’s almost impossible to work out what the guy is actually like without watching an interview.

Moreover, Lowe works closely with his children in the business on shows such as The Lowe Files, in both candid and scripted formats. He has consistently worked in projects of all genres, themes, and tones, showcasing his range and love of his work. We are excited to see where this next project lands in his already impressive repertoire. Here’s everything we know so far about Netflix’s Unstable.

The Show’s Plot

     Paramount Pictures

Unstable will be set in a lucrative company in the tech industry, where a shy and introverted young man must work for his polar opposite, eccentric and off-the-cuff father, and what ensues will be nothing but unstable. This plot promises a lot of opportunity for hilarity and nuance. The format of the show, whether it’s confessional, single-camera, etc., could also provide a lot of chances for Lowe and Lowe to riff off each other. Not only as father and son but as actors who each have wit and talent in their own rights.

According to various sources, there is some reason to assume that Unstable will be heavily based on their current public relationships and personas. Unstable was born from Rob and John Owen’s Twitter exchanges, which have frequently made headlines. Only ever in good jest, John Owen Lowe trolls his father with a hilarious bend, in exchanges that include calling out his father’s “hogging” the makeup chair and deliberately working his Emmys into the backgrounds of his selfies.

The Show’s Cast & Crew

     A&E

John Owen Lowe has appeared in works such as The Grinder and Holiday in the Wild alongside his father. He has also cut a path as a writer and story editor on various projects, particularly on television, such as the show 9-1-1 Lonestar. John Owen Lowe, both in his career and in his public relationship with his father, acts as a funny counterbalance and clearly boasts a lot of talent and experience as a showrunner. Unstable’s synopsis will directly play into this dichotomy both conceptually and in the plot.

Finally, Unstable’s producer Victor Fresco is most famous for the irreverent zombie comedy Santa Clarita Diet, which starred Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant. He has also worked on comedies like Better Off Ted, a corporate comedy similar to the new show Severance, and Sean Saves the World starring Ed Helms. Overall, the Unstable show boasts an excellent and intimate group of writers, producers, and comedians and has a lot of promise so far in what it can deliver. In speaking to Deadline about Unstable’s potential and their excitement about the show, particularly the collaboration between Lowe, Lowe, and Fresco, Netflix head of comedy Tracey Pakosta stated:

Release Date

In the age of The Mandalorian, The Last of Us, and The Witcher, a good father-son comedy starring literal father and son might be just what we need to unwind! And seeing Rob Lowe flex his comedic chops for us once again couldn’t possibly be anything other than exciting. As of now, there is no confirmed release date for the project.

“We are very excited to be working with Victor, Rob and John Owen…the three of them – and their wildly funny, smart sensibilities – are a perfect fit for our growing slate of scripted comedies."