Unstable (TV Series)

This comedy series revolves around a brilliant but eccentric biotech entrepreneur, his son, and the business. It starts with promise, offering a few enjoyable episodes, but by the second season, it loses direction entirely. The show is available on Netflix and has been discontinued after Season 2. Mangoidiots rates it Rotten.

The premise was intriguing. Ellis Dragon, a celebrated inventor, loses his grip after the death of his wife. The COO of his firm invites his estranged son, Jackson Dragon, to step in and help both his father and the company. The early interactions between father and son, and with the young scientists in the lab, kept me interested. I was hoping the story would build on the triangular romantic tension, but it ends up wandering elsewhere. I enjoyed the scenes featuring Jackson and his childhood friend Malcolm—there were some easy, good moments there.

Season 2 opens with the team coming together for a new invention, which sounded promising. But instead of building on that, the narrative veers off into distractions like making promotional videos, and the focus on innovation gets diluted.

Rob Lowe fits the role of Ellis, the maverick scientist. But it was John Owen Lowe as Jackson who stood out with his natural and grounded performance. Rachel Marsh and Emma Pilar Ferreira, as the two scientists in the lab, made their scenes enjoyable. I also liked the COO character Anna Bennet, played by Sian Clifford, and it was a loss not to have her arc expand in Season 2. The subplot around the boardroom coup had potential, but was left underexplored.

In summary, Unstable began with a strong setup and likeable characters, but it misses several opportunities and ends up meandering into forgettable territory.