Netflix’s favorite father-son comedy, Unstableis back for another season! Created by John Owen Lowe, Rob Lowe and Victor Fresco, the series follows eccentric biotech genius/billionaire Ellis Dragon (Rob Lowe) who spirals after the death of his beloved wife and is unable to work. His CFO and friend Anna (Flea bag(Sian Clifford) lures her jaded but also brilliant son Jackson (John Owen Lowe) back to the West Coast to work at his father’s company and heal their relationship.
In the second season, Jackson struggles to find his place and his voice in his father’s world. Jackson changes his appearance and begins working at a biotech company run by the charismatic Peter (New girl“There were several inspirations” for Jackson’s longer hair and earrings, according to John Owen. “I wanted to show that Jackson was in a different state of mind.” His father Rob believes Jackson’s new style is reminiscent of his iconic St. Elmo’s fire character. “A Lowe with long hair and an earring? I wonder where…” Rob said with a smile.
In addition to playing each other in a brutal tennis match (something John Owen enjoyed), father and son get to explore the alternate personalities of their characters (fake real estate agents Ron Tabasco and Jason Dargon) in one of the duo’s favorite episodes of the series. “It’s an instant classic,” Rob enthused. John Owen agreed, adding, “It was fun for me, both personally and selfishly, to be able to play a version of myself that was exaggerated and a little more heated toward Mr. Tabasco.”
DECIDER had the chance to speak briefly with the Lowes about Jackson’s earrings, John Owen’s dominance on the tennis court, and why their show is one of the “few comedies that are actually comedies” on television right now.
DECISION: John Owen, I want to talk about Jackson’s new look for season 2. I noticed he’s wearing longer hair and earrings. I’m obsessed!
ROB LOWE: I just need to say… the long hair, the earring, it doesn’t look anything like me at all. St. Elmo’s fire.
JOHN OWEN LOWE: You are so…
RL: Are you talking about a Lowe with long hair and an earring? I wonder where he is… I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt!
Okay! John Owen, how did you develop Jackson’s physical transformation in Season 2?
JOL: Well, I think you just heard part of it. [laughs]There were several inspirations. [To Rob] I think I hear something new from you every day. You told me I look like the lead singer of which band…?
RL: Recently? Lover Boy. That’s when you put on the headbands.
JOL: George Michael too. I am also frequently told that I have plagiarized. [gestures to Rob] His look from St. Elmo’s firea movie I’ve never seen so there’s no way that could be true [laughs]Thanks for noticing. I wanted to do something different and show that Jackson was in a different state of mind. Also, selfishly, I had changed my appearance a bit.
It looks good!
JOL: I will say, anecdotally, that yesterday I received a phone call from my mother and she told me… [To Rob] Do you know this?
RL: No.
JOL: He called me and said, “I think you’re going to take the earring to the press tomorrow.” And I said, “What? Why?”
Actually: [Laughs] What she was…?
JOL: Well, in case anyone is worried that I’m being overprotective… things are going pretty well here.
Got it. In season two, you two get to do a lot of crazy stuff together. What was more fun: playing tennis with each other or role-playing at the real estate convention?
JOL: For me, it’s always tennis. Actually, anything competitive where I can beat her, which is pretty much everything now. That’s very cathartic for me.
RL: Yeah, he’s very, very excited about the fact that a 28-year-old in the prime of his life can physically beat a 60-year-old man. He’s taking advantage of that opportunity. [laughs]A win is a win. When we play versions of each other in an alternate universe and go head to head as real estate agents, that’s one of my favorite things about the show.
Ron Tabasco might be one of the biggest fake characters in recent pop culture history. Can we talk about the character’s origin?
RL: I mean, when Johnny and Andrew Gurland and the whole writing team came to me with the idea of Ellis becoming a fake real estate agent, I was like, “I’m sorry, I’m going to do what?” Then Johnny was like, “Yeah, you’re going to become Ron Tabasco.” And I was like, “Oh, you won me over with Ron Tabasco.” As long as I get to play a character named Ron Tabasco, I’m game.
JOL: It’s a spicy name.
RL: It’s a spicy name. It’s an instant classic. What do you think about it?
JOL: That was definitely our favorite script in the writers room. Ron Tabasco and the unforgettable Jason Dargon.
RL: Jason Dargon. Worst name ever.
It was fun watching Jason Dargon set Ron Tabasco straight.
JOL: It was fun. For me, both on a personal and selfish level, it was fun to play an exaggerated and slightly more heated version of myself towards Mr. Tabasco.
RL: For me, that episode is the core of the season. This show is silly, absurd, subversive, and hopefully smart. There are very few comedies on TV right now that are actually comedies. The “Rob Tabasco” episode is really a good example of what our show is about.
The 8 episodes of Unstable They are streaming now on Netflix.
