Now here you go again, you say you want your TV show. Well, who is Amazon to keep you down? Daisy Jones & the Six, an upcoming Prime Video series, will follow a fictional, dramatic ’70s rock band partly inspired by Fleetwood Mac. The show is based on a book of the same name, written by The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo author Taylor Jenkins Reid. The novel came out in 2017 and was optioned based on a copy that married couple and executive producers Scott Neustadter and Lauren Levy Neustadter read prior to its release. Then production was halted due to the pandemic, which explains the wait, per Vanity Fair. The series is also EP’d by Reese Witherspoon through her studio Hello Sunshine, with Scott Neustadter co-creating the show alongside Michael H. Weber as well as co-showrunning alongside Will Graham.
The show released a full trailer on February 15, showing off the voices of its two leads and some steamy drama. While there are six band members (plus Daisy Jones), the trailer focuses on a central love triangle. Plus, fans of the book will note that there’s some real music going on, including the recording of “Honeycomb.†While the trailer is set entirely in the ’70s, the first teaser included the bonus info that the show would be framed as a music doc. “Don’t you think it’s time to add a little fire?†one character asks. “Don’t overthink it,†Daisy says. “I’m the fire.â€
Give us a summary of the book.
The book that the series is faithfully adapting follows the titular Daisy as she navigates the ’70s-rock scene. She joins the fictional band the Six, headed by Billy Dunne. The two, alongside the rest of their bandmates and Billy’s girlfriend, Camila, navigate interpersonal conflicts, musical conflicts, and drug abuse.
The story looks to be following the same plot, more or less, as the original book. Their goal was “figuring out how to make the experience of watching it the same as we had when we read it,†the creators said to Vanity Fair. That meant mostly keeping the same structure as the book while condensing the framing device, which centers around the band members looking back at their youth from the future, down to 20 years.
Who’s in the cast?
Daisy Jones will be played by Riley Keough, a descendant of one Elvis Presley. Billy Dunne is played by Sam Claflin of Finnick Odair fame. Both Keough and Claflin told Vanity Fair that they spent extensive time learning to music themselves up in order to play these rockers. Keough learned to belt, while Claflin learned both how to play rhythm guitar and that “Come Together†is not by Michael Jackson. Other cast members include Suki Waterhouse as Karen, Sebastian Chacon as Warren, Josh Whitehouse as Eddie, and Will Harrison as Graham. Camila Morrone will play the fictional Camila, while Timothy Olyphant plays Rod Reyes, Tom Wright plays Teddy Price, and Nabiyah Be plays Simone Jackson.
So … is Daisy Jones based on Fleetwood Mac?
Sure sounds like it, huh! But no, this is not the Fleetwood Mac bio-series you’ve been craving. It is definitely inspired by that iconic band (and their iconic album Rumours), as well as the general rock scene of the era, but Daisy Jones and the Six are their own thing. If you want to see Fleetwood Mac talking about their whole situation, stick to their Behind the Music episode.
The people working on the show seem a little conflicted about that very thing. Frankie Pine, the show’s music supervisor, told Variety that the fictional group’s performance style was not modeled on any real group but also that she showed the cast videos of Fleetwood Mac (along with Grace Jones, who’s a bit more of a left-fielder). In regards to the music, Neustader reportedly told the music writers that he very specifically did not want it to sound like a “fake Fleetwood Mac album.†But Marcus Mumford, who wrote one of the show’s songs, invoked Fleetwood Mac yet again when talking about Sound City Studios, where the music was recorded, saying, “You can feel the Jackson Browne, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac essence in those walls because so many of those records were made there.†So, basically, it’s definitely not a Fleetwood Mac biopic, but the real-life band and the fictional band are definitely similar enough that the comparison is made. A lot.
Are there any bangers incoming?
Blake Mills and Tony Berg wrote much of the original music for the fictional band, which includes songs mentioned in the book like “Regret Me†and “Aurora.†“It sounds kind of fresh, and doesn’t sound like play acting,†Neustadter told Vanity Fair. Those songs will also include lyrics written in the book. The soundtrack will be released on Atlantic Records. If you’re in the mood for a sampling, listen to the first real single from the real-fake band, their fake-iconic track “Regret Me.â€
What’s the release date in the teaser?
If you’re ready to rock out with your Six out, you’ll have to get in line. The series premieres on Prime Video on March 3, with new episodes coming out weekly each Friday. Sex, drugs, and streaming services.