Unstable Review: Eccentric Science and Playful Personalities Team Up For This Comedy Series

Comedy is on the come-up, with streaming platforms lapping up new sit-coms in hopes that one stick. The Unstable review explores whether the show was good enough for that to work. This comedy series stars Rob Lowe, John Owen Lowe, Sian Clifford, Rachel Marsh, Emma Ferreira, Fred Armisen, Aaron Branch, Frank Gallegos, Chris Aquilino, Merrick McCartha, Tom Allen, Brie Eley and JT Parr, alongside other cast members. It is created by Victor Fresco, Rob Lowe and John Lowe, who are also part of the crew as executive producers.

Unstable is about a father and the CEO of a company who tries to grapple with the fact that he isn’t excited about science anymore. Now that his son is back home, he expects some of that love for the craft to bubble up in his chest. The show explores their journey in reconciliation while also showing the importance of giving space to our loved ones.

-Unstable Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-

Comedy is hard to nail because it has to walk a thin line between funny and corny. For the most part, Netflix has done an average job of giving fans a good sitcom to watch. The golden age of sitcoms with Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Office, Parks and Recreation and Community has given audiences a high standard for these kinds of shows. In comes Unstable, which has a good premise, a good set of characters and some great humour in the show.

It doesn’t rely on too many political ideologies to be funny or try to be overtly inclusive in its approach to comedy. There aren’t moments when it feels like it is trying too hard to fall into the zeitgeist of what Gen Z viewers would expect from this show. Instead, it quietly makes its presence known through a well-done casting process and dialogues written mindfully. There are times when the show explores the different kinds of masculinity in a way that embraces all the ways it manifests.

Additionally, even though the protagonists are male, the show does a brilliant job of passing the Bechdel Test, having female characters that are treated as human beings with personalities who are all not monoliths. It was also wonderful to see women in STEM stand their ground and explore how healthy the workplace is, especially when it comes to treating their coworkers with respect.

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This writer must take a moment to acknowledge Sian Clifford. Seeing her act in a comedy after Fleabag was refreshing. There were some elements of her character from that show, but also just a wonderful expression of diversified femininity can be. Once again, there cannot be enough laurels for the fact that the characters in this show are so well-constructed. They all have such interesting backstories and so much meat to dig into that it makes their humour even funnier.

The structure is not something most sitcoms focus on, but it felt like there was a solid narrative arc that they wanted to follow through the season and had a satisfactory ending but also left something to explore in the next season. The growth from each episode was so great to map. The show does a great job of not falling for any of the pitfalls of a comedy, especially the romantic tropes.

Moreover, it doesn’t take itself too seriously and allows itself to be a little goofy, toeing the line very well. Exaggerating for comedy, overexplaining, and repetitive dialogues were all tools that were employed with precision and a discerning hand. Technicality is not something that matters too much in shows like these, but the background music is absolutely brilliant in this show for setting the tone.

Unstable Review: Final Thoughts

This is such a fun show to watch just while having dinner or sitting with friends. It isn’t imposing or anything, and while the science jargon used in this is a little off-putting, the rest of the show totally makes up for this little thing. Meanwhile, the humour totally works for the genre and uses the workplace for some brilliant settings while also sharing some interesting power dynamics while they’re at it.

Additionally, it must be noted that there are so many beautiful and insightful moments from the show that really honour the sitcom genre well. While the show One Day at a Time explores social issues in America in its episodes, Unstable explores people’s interpersonal issues with their families and coworkers. It is worth a watch, at least for some laughs, if nothing more.

Unstable is currently streaming on Netflix. Whose character did you relate to the most, Ellis or Jackson? Let us know in the comments below.

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