Unstable

I didn't expect much from this, as Netflix don't really have a great comedy record.

From the start it's a quirky, fun watch. From the creator of Better Off Ted it's full of interesting weirdos and a generous amount of very funny lines and situations.

Rob Lowe is great as always, with a character not a million miles from his Parks And Rec one, and his son really does a good job as, well, his son as well as showing some serious writing chops.

Not at all high brow despite the science tech firm setting, this is absolutely worth watching.

Funny, silly and charming. Yes, I know that describes Tob Lowe as well...

I was planning to just play this as background noise but found myself tuning in. It's not a HAHAHA type of comedy nor slapstick. It's more serious set up with characters who are unserious, chaotic, unhinged, and campy. The whole bit is just dry dead pan and sarcastic humor. You'd laugh because it's ridiculous and somehow true too.

Reminds me of IT Crowd mixed with Big Bang Theory and Park & Rec. I found the characters fit the cast so it felt natural especially Rob Lowe's character who's an eccentric narcissist. The overall banter exchange is also fun to watch.

There's some little serious sweet moments but it's overall just unserious. Just watch the 1st episode and if you like it then you'd like the whole bit because it keeps a constant vibe. It follows a thin storyline but aside from that is episodic.

I'm quite surprised by Unstable. I starts as an umpteenth Rob Lowe comedy, with its fair share of cheesy lines and cringy acting but then it grows into something rather good, and turns flaws into qualities. There is something around episode 2 that somehow perfectly tune everything into place, and jokes that would miss on others occasions somehow hit the mark. There is something that clicks, and it's like someone turned on the humor translator.

The pace is really great, it doesn't drag on when the events are unfolding and you crave for more, yet it allows space for some slower situations that requires a bit of breathing.

I really like the consistency between episodes and scenes, : they don't start off the next episode coming back on something for the sake of stalling, and you don't get lost in a maze of conversation fillers that adds nothing to the show. Actions have consequences and the characters display a refreshing normalcy in their behavior, apart from their emphasized personalities. Their goals are understandable, the stakes are clear, and the obstacles are challengeable. The main storyline is fluid, all the detours the shows takes from it are worth the trip and it only adds extra flavors. Also, it's clear someone on set paid attention to details : the position of the mug, the outfits, the direction of the walk... It just wraps everything with an additional layer of likeability. Every character has its own little subplots, which give them some thickness and texture and everything is perfectly calibrated and connected.

This said, there are some things that itches the rational part of my brain but the show keeps me interested and focused so that I don't ruminate on these issues. Unstable has a low rewatchability value, but it managed to make me hit that Next Episode button like I rarely do.

I binged all of season 1 in a day. I went in expecting nothing and I was laughing out loud each episode. But it looks like the magic has faded in season 2. I think I force chuckled a couple of times in season 2 so far... I'm only halfway through the season and I have no desire to keep going. I'm gonna try to finish this season eventually, but I hope if they get renewed for season 3 that they will try to go back to the season 1 formula. Also the new intern girl in season 2 is just awful. Her scenes are unbearable. Her personality is dreadful and she sucks the life out of an already dying season.

I didn't at first like the frenetic energy of the fast talking dialog and the handheld camera work that seemed like it was flying off chaotically, but it does grow on you and the story and cast chemistry settles in. The shows humor, look and feel, as well as the sound effects reminds me a lot of Avenue 5, and that's a good thing.

At first, Rob Lowe seemed to be reprising his Grinder role, but it's the schtick that he is good at. And the quirky cast are hilarious and very likable. And unlike Will Smith's untalented son who didn't deserve to be in show business, Rob Lowe's son is fantastic and delivers his lines perfectly. And the twins! Funny! Parody of the Winklevoss twins, maybe?

This is a good comedy fix.