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Rob Lowe says his son ‘trolling’ him on Instagram led to the creation of ‘Unstable’

"This is one of those rare things where we knew there was an audience who liked it beforehand because they loved John trolling me on my Instagram account."
/ Source: TODAY

Rob Lowe said his new Netflix comedy, “Unstable,” was inspired by his son John Owen Lowe relentlessly "trolling" him on Instagram.

The father-son duo star in the series together, with the elder Lowe, 59, playing Ellis Dragon, an eccentric biotech entrepreneur. John Owen Lowe, 27, plays Ellis' estranged son, Jackson Dragon, who rolls his eyes at his dad’s self-absorption.

“You always wonder if the audience is going to like it or if there’s even an audience for it. This is one of those rare things where we knew there was an audience who liked it beforehand because they loved John trolling me on my Instagram account," Rob Lowe told "ET Canada."

Rob Lowe as Ellis and John Owen Lowe as Jackson in "Unstable."
Rob Lowe as Ellis and John Owen Lowe as Jackson in "Unstable."John P. Fleenor / Netflix

Rob Lowe continued, “It was a viral thing and that’s what led us to go, ‘Hey, maybe we should make a show because people enjoy it so much.’ So, we had that rare opportunity where the audience was saying ‘more please’ and we just had to figure out what the 'more' was going to be.”

Rob Lowe, who shares John Owen Lowe and an older son, Matthew Lowe, 29, with wife Sheryl Berkoff, said it took a while, but the pair finally figured out how to bring their hilarious “tone” to the series, which premieres March 30.

Over the years, Rob Lowe's fans have giggled over John Owen Lowe’s playful jabs on his dad's Instagram posts. One ongoing joke between the two is the younger Lowe routinely inserting the image of John Stamos’ face over his dad's in Father's Day and birthday posts.

Rob Lowe and son John Owen Lowe.
"He’s a really smart writer, a really good producer, a really good actor," Rob Lowe said of his son John Owen Lowe, right.JC Olivera / Getty Images

John Owen Lowe also pokes fun at the former “West Wing” star’s alleged vanity. “The subtle art of taking a selfie in front of ur Emmy nominations,” he commented on one of his father’s many selfies. “Plz god no," he wrote alongside another.

Rob Lowe told "ET Canada" that he realized his son had real talent after John Owen Lowe wrote the script for an especially popular episode of “9-1-1: Lone Star,” which features his dad in a starring role.

“He’s a really smart writer, a really good producer, a really good actor. I forget he’s my kid a lot and then I remember he’s my kid and then I get really proud,” said the actor.

The duo’s comedic chemistry was on full display last month when Netflix released a full-length promo for “Unstable.” The clip combined footage from the show with commentary from the pair.

The video shows John Owen Lowe deadpanning about his dad, “I spent a good deal of my youth keeping him humble. It was a significantly large task.”

He adds, “I feel like your ego, unchecked —"

“— is a colossus!” his dad interjects.

“— would be really, honestly, dangerous,” the younger Lowe concludes.

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