Biotech genius Ellis Dragon (Rob Lowe) is behind bars at the start of Unstable Season 2 — well, sort of. He’s training for his seemingly inevitable imprisonment — you know, after the explosive ending of Season 1.

Created by Lowe, his son John Owen Lowe, and Victor Fresco, Unstable follows eccentric entrepreneur Ellis as he reconnects with his estranged son, Jackson (John Owen Lowe), who moves back home to help pull his father out of an emotional free fall. At the end of Season 1, a last-minute technological breakthrough saw Ellis narrowly avoid being removed from the board of his own company. Instead, he ousted his friend turned rival, Jean (Christina Chang) ... and then blew up her car. 

In Season 2, he tries to move onward but is quickly met with fresh faces and a new set of problems.

What is Unstable Season 2  about? 

Ellis lays out a series of challenges and mind games for Jackson to see if he has what it takes to succeed him as the heir to the Dragon empire, but a newcomer might have other ideas.

The roots of the story — a child coming into their own while under the watchful eye of an overbearing parent — are elements John Owen Lowe believes to be fairly common in real life. “I think it’s true to so many kids with their parents. What’s so funny about that journey … is that quest to pull away and how there’s this innate gravitational pull back in,” John Owen tells Tudum. “We really exaggerate it with Jackson and Ellis, because there’s this one shining moment where it seems like we’re going to see Jackson in his true form, having some space. And then what’s so fun about Season 2 is we just maxed out how hard Ellis could suck him back into his world in the cruelest ways possible.” 

Who stars in Unstable Season 2?

Along with both Lowes, returning cast members include Sian Clifford as Ellis’ CFO and No. 1 confidant Anna, Rachel Marsh as shy scientist Luna, Emma Ferreira as outgoing scientist Ruby, Aaron Branch as Jackson’s childhood best friend and Dragon Company project manager Malcolm, and Fred Armisen as Leslie, Ellis’ board-appointed mental health professional. Frank Gallegos, JT Parr, Tom Allen, and Sean Clements also recur.

Season 2 includes some new faces, including recurring guest stars Lamorne Morris (Fargo) and Iris Apatow (The Bubble). Morris plays Peter, the charismatic founder of a biotech start-up whose rising star manages to stoke the already intense rivalry between Ellis and Jackson. John Owen tells Tudum the creation of Peter stemmed from a desire to “add a foil for Ellis” — admittedly a “tricky” task considering how smart, charismatic, and well-liked Ellis is.

Rob praises Morris for being up for the challenging task. “His version of Peter feels authentic and real. I really believe he’s that guy. Part of that is Lamorne just being such a great actor because he obviously could play both comedy and drama really, really well,” says the actor. “You were obsessed with him since New Girl,” he reminds John Owen, who adds, “I was so excited when he signed on. He got to be this layered character who has real, human mixed intentions  and he did great. We were really happy.”

Meanwhile, Apatow portrays Georgia, Anna’s irreverent ex-stepdaughter turned unwilling Dragon intern. Georgia copes with office life by stirring up trouble and making Anna’s life difficult whenever possible.

From a writing perspective, John Owen says Georgia allowed the show to peel back Anna’s layers and bring some youth into the fold. “There was a desire to see Anna humanized a bit more, to see her backstory put simply, and get more of a glimpse into what her life is outside of Ellis — which, there isn’t much life outside of Ellis for her,” says John Owen. “And it was fun to bring in — I was about to say someone young, I mean I’m young — but that’s youth, that’s hard-core youth right there. TikTok generation, Gen Z, right? And Iris is so funny, sweet, and easy to work with.”

Andrew Gurland (Married, Platonic) is executive producer and showrunner and Claire Scanlon (Set It Up) is executive producer and director. Sean Clements also executive produces.

When is the Unstable Season 2 premiere date? 

Unstable Season 2 is available to stream now on Netflix. 

For future Unstable updates, check back with Tudum.