‘Unstable’ unleashes Rob Lowe in an uninspired father-son Netflix comedy

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN

It’s nice to see families working together, even in the jaded confines of Hollywood. But “Unstable” plays a little too conspicuously like a father-and-son bonding opportunity for Rob Lowe and John Owen Lowe, yielding a breezy Netflix comedy series that’s so lightweight it could easily just blow away.

The origins of the show actually grew out of the younger Lowe trolling his famous dad via social media, prompting the producers (of which Rob Lowe is one) to look for a showcase to exploit that dynamic. The not-terribly-original result casts the elder Lowe as Ellis Dragon, a wealthy biotech entrepreneur who goes from “eccentric” to “off the deep end” after the death of his wife.

Worried that Ellis’ behavior might imperil the company, the company’s management — lead by buttoned-up chief financial officer Anna (Sian Clifford) — enlist his son, Jackson, to come work for him, hoping that having the kid around will provide a stabilizing (hence the title) influence. Yet Jackson has headed off on his own for a reason, seeking to escape his dad’s sizable shadow.

As developed by Victor Fresco (a veteran sitcom writer whose credits include “Santa Clarita Diet” and “Andy Richter Controls the Universe”), once you get past the family part of the premise “Unstable” becomes a sort-of variation on “30 Rock,” with a lot of outlandish talent that needs to be coddled in order to keep the place running.

The dynamic almost immediately includes a romantic triangle built around Jackson, who draws the attention of two genius lab workers, Ruby (Emma Ferreira) and Luna (Rachel Marsh), the first overt about her interest in him, the latter shyly hiding behind her glasses and a boyfriend that she doesn’t actually like all that much.

There’s actually a sweetness if a little too much familiarity around those situations, but beyond the obvious hook of allowing Lowe to completely unleash his silly side (see the “Austin Powers” movies), the series veers into cartoon-character territory with the board members who are out to dethrone Ellis and a therapist (Fred Armisen) who gets sucked into his outlandish orbit.

Granted, there’s something to be said for a comedy that doesn’t aspire to much more than being funny, and while John Owen Lowe (who previously appeared with his dad in the A&E unscripted series “The Lowe Files”) holds his own in terms of dashing off one-liners, this is hardly the first example of a Hollywood production motivated by take-your-child-to-work-day underpinnings.

“Unstable” isn’t bad, in that context, but the “un” that most comes to mind actually goes with “necessary.”

“Unstable” premieres March 30 on Netflix.

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