Rob Lowe is a Narcissist-Adjacent Biotech Entrepreneur in Netflix’s New “Unstable”
With a name like Ellis Dragon, you know the man is going to have some personality. Netflix’s new comedy Unstable is now streaming, and it stars Rob Lowe as the aforementioned Ellis Dragon, a brilliant, deeply weird, “narcissist-adjacent” (as described in the series’ synopsis) biotech entrepreneur who really and truly believes he can make the world a better place. What saves Ellis Dragon from being as ridiculous as his name is he really is a genius, and he really is trying to improve the world. His innovations include sugar-cane-based plastic, carbon-capturing concrete, and a bruiseless avocado (okay, this one isn’t exactly solving global warming, but still, we want one!)
The problem for Ellis is he’s lost his mojo, and his antics are starting to worry the board of his company. What he needs is fresh inspiration and a steady hand, and for that, he turns to his son, Jackson (John Owen Lowe, his actual son), who has lived his life in his father’s shadow. Jackson Dragon is everything his father is not—humble, low-key, and prone to second-guessing himself. Yet he also just might be what Ellis, his company, and the world need.
Unstable comes from the Lowe father-and-son team and Victor Fresco (Santa Clarita Diet) and is already coming in for some excellent reviews. The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago-Sun Times, and more are buzzing about what the Lowe family and Fresco have cooked up. THR‘s Angie Han gets at the heart of why Unstable should probably be added to your queue, comparing it to one of Fresco’s previous (and very funny) series, Better of Ted: “Unstable does, however, share with Better Off Ted its single most appealing quality — namely the fact that it’s very, very funny, thanks to a crackling combination of sharp writing, lovably eccentric characters, and snappy comedic timing.
Sounds like a very stable decision to check out the two Lowes and the rest of the stellar cast, which includes Sian Clifford, Aaron Branch, Emma Ferreira, and Rachel Marsh.
Unstable is streaming now on Netflix. Check out the trailer here:
Here’s the synopsis for Unstable:
Ellis Dragon is a universally admired, eccentric, narcissist-adjacent biotech entrepreneur working to make the world a better place. He’s also in emotional free-fall. His son Jackson Dragon is… none of those things. Can Jackson save Ellis and his company and salvage their estranged relationship while also doing what may actually be impossible: escaping the shadow of his larger-than-life father?
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Featured image: Unstable. Rob Lowe as Ellis in episode 101 of Unstable. Cr. John P. Fleenor/Netflix © 2023
