Riley Keough and Sam Claflin, who plays the show lead Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne, performing during episode three. / photo credit: Lacey Terrell / Prime Video
If you thought the rise and fall of the relationship between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were rocky, wait until you meet Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne. Inspired by the rocky journey of Fleetwood Mac, the atmosphere of Southern California in the 70s, and arguably one of the greatest decades of music, Daisy Jones & The Six started as a book by Taylor Jenkins Reid to follow her viral book sensation The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and has become a phenomenon with Gen Z on social media.
“In 1977, Daisy Jones & The Six were on top of the world; the band had risen from obscurity to fame, and then, after a sold-out show at Chicago’s Soldier Field, they called it quits; now, decades later, the band members agree to reveal the truth.” With a synopsis that hits right to the point and the promise to know just why this fictional band, who was on top of the world, suddenly broke up in the middle of their tour, fans of the book waited with bated breath for over two years for the series to be released on Amazon Prime.
The series premiered on March 3, 2023, and shot to no.1 on Prime, and the soundtrack, which is the band’s multi-platinum album in the book and show, also hit no.1 on iTunes in the U.S. and the physical vinyl hit no.1 on Amazon.
We meet Daisy Jones (Riley Keough) when she was only a child. It becomes quickly apparent that her home life is not what most would think with her family’s outside appearance. Growing up in a wealthy but unloving household, Daisy finds her peace in music. As she grows up and her parents continue to ignore her, she starts to find her place in the LA club scene.
Over in Pittsburgh, we meet Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin). After being abandoned by his father, leaving him to be the man of the house with a younger brother and mother, he focuses on music and wants to get out of the city. His younger brother Graham makes a band, and eventually Billy joins with members Eddie, Warren and Chuck. After they get local fame and start to get recognition, Chuck leaves to be a dentist right before their biggest gig yet. Luckily, the band they’re opening up for has a very talented pianist, Karen, who just so happens to know how much potential the band has.
During this, Billy met Camilia—a young photographer with big dreams. The two fell head first for each other, and Camilia quickly jumped into action, being the band’s photographer and makeshift manager.
After a chance meeting with legendary record producer Teddy Price, the band gets a chance to record their first album. It’s a success, and the band goes on tour, but it’s cut short as Billy falls into an addiction to drugs and alcohol as a result of Camilia being pregnant. After she gives birth, Billy refuses to meet his daughter and chooses to go into rehab. Because of this, the band gets cut from their label and has no idea where to go from there.
That’s where Teddy comes in with an up-and-coming star Daisy Jones.
Season one ended on March 23rd, completing the season’s ten-episode journey. A second season is unlikely, as the show follows the book closely, and there’s no sequel to it. While it’s not unlikely for the author to possibly write a sequel, it wouldn’t make sense as the show and book are supposed to be a documentary. The ending may give a possible season two, but the book’s ending is very much closed.
I would give this show an 8/10. It’s a show that flows well, and while it does have slow parts, it’s not much. The songs are amazing, and the cast is fantastic. I would definitely recommend watching this show during your summer break.
