Daisy Jones and the Six

Daisy Jones and the Six, based on the 2019 bestselling novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, will premiere on streaming giant Amazon this March. The ten-part miniseries follows the fictional (and yet very believable) story of 1970s rock band Daisy and the Six, who dramatically rise to fame and then, when they are on top of the world, break up, out of the blue, for reasons unknown. The miniseries follows a similar format to the book: decades later, band members and those associated with The Six give their conflicting takes on what happened. Unlike the novel, the interview-style narrative is broken up with flashbacks of past events. 

Loosely based on the story of Fleetwood Mac, the first episode of Daisy and the Six brings viewers to the bright, hazy and wild world of 70s America and the flourishing rock scene. The nostalgic and exciting aesthetic serves as a mesmerising backdrop to the separate stories of how the band got together. First, there’s Daisy Jones (Riley Keough), who grew up a privileged but chronically lonely teenager in Los Angeles and became a talented but troubled groupie, always serving as reluctant inspiration for other people, whilst being professionally overlooked. Keough moulds to her character, creating a sense of someone whose inner drive is at odds with how the rest of the world sees her and who has a strong will and confidence, despite her setbacks. From the first episode we already know a lot about her early trauma, and we’re set up to root for her, which may prove an important foundation for things to come.

Then there’s Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin), Graham Dunne (Will Harrison), Warren Rhodes (Sebastian Chacon), Eddie Roundtree (Josh Whitehouse) and Karen Sirko (Suki Waterhouse), the initial members of The Six, living in Pittsburgh and starting out at weddings before making their way to California to forge a name for themselves. Daisy hasn’t met them in the first episode, but it’s already easy to predict tension in the way she will impact their lives – particularly for Billy, who is at this point on the road with girlfriend Camila (Camila Morrone). 

The musical element is an exciting part of the narrative, and we are introduced early on to Riley’s enticing voice as Daisy. Also impressive is the fact that Claflin (as Billy) had no musical background and learned to sing and play guitar during lockdown, as his voice feels authentically rockstar-like. There is a lot to cover in the first episode, but it sets up the concept well and makes viewers want to find out what happens next. Riley brings a versatile, vulnerable, yet strong performance, doing a lot with her facial expressions to show rather than tell us what her character is experiencing. It will be intriguing to see how she handles this flawed, but iconic character. Claflin brings humour and relatability, promising development as his character’s ego-maniacal side emerges with the unfolding of the story. The TV show does differ from the book in parts, but it keeps the essence intact and weaves in direct quotes from the original source material where appropriate. It’s just the start, but Daisy Jones and the Six is a must-see for fans of the book – and even those who’ve never heard of it should give it a try.

Sophia Moss

Daisy Jones and the Six is released on Amazon Prime Video on 3^rd March 2023.

Watch the trailer for Daisy Jones and the Six here: