‘Daisy Jones & the Six’ Oozes 70s Nostalgia and Breathes New Life Into The New York Times Bestseller

Photo courtesy of Prime Video.

Daisy Jones & the Six premiered on Prime Video on March 3, 2023. It’s based on the novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The miniseries follows the rise and fall of rock band Daisy Jones & the Six in the 1960s and 1970s. I want to share my thoughts on the miniseries and the book with all of you. Let’s get into this.

I want to start by giving a mini review of the book. One of the main reasons why I read it is because the show was being released. One of the other reasons is because the premise was right up my alley. I love stories about fictional bands or anything that has to do with the entertainment industry.

This book is a 5-star read for me. The story just immerses you into the rock scene during the 60s and 70s. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a masterfully gifted storyteller and writer. All the characters she writes feel like real people and have so much depth. When a book is able to make me feel all kinds of emotions, that’s when I know that it’s good. Daisy Jones & the Six is no exception. I cried, laughed, and screamed. It made me feel everything.

If you haven’t watched the series yet, I highly recommend reading the book first because there are some changes that the series made. Seeing a book come to life on screen is every book lover’s dream.

Shifting to the series now, I want to start by discussing what didn’t impress me. I knew going into it that it wasn’t going to be a perfect adaptation because no adaptation is perfect. There’s one scene in particular that I hated and found so unnecessary but I can’t tell you what scene it is because I won’t be spoiling anything here. 

Next, I want to talk about what I loved. The acting in the series is some of the best acting I’ve seen in a TV show. Riley Keough was the right person to portray Daisy Jones. She brought her to life in the best way book fans could’ve ever asked for. Daisy Jones isn’t your typical singer-songwriter. She’s a human being with a plethora of layers. Keough captured Daisy’s essence so well and it’s evident how dedicated she was to bringing Daisy to life on screen in an authentic way.

The same goes for Mr. Sam Claflin. The king of book adaptations was an absolute beast as Billy Dunne. I haven’t watched him in a film since Love, Rosie. I loved him as Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games film series. This role offered him a lot to play with. Billy is similar to Daisy in the sense that they’re both two people that are trying to find their place in the world and crave certain things to keep them sane.

Keough and Claflin’s chemistry was electrifying, bone-chilling, and genuine. Every time they were on screen, I could feel chills going up and down my spine. The love that Billy and Daisy have for each is complex and a matter of destiny.

Camila Morrone was the only person to bring Camila Dunne to life on the small screen. I stand by that. Camila is one of my favorite characters in the book so I knew whoever was portraying her had big shoes to fill. Morrone was able to portray Camila’s caring nature and her selflessness effortlessly.

Suki Waterhouse isn’t exactly who I pictured to portray Karen Sirko or Karen Karen in the book but she absolutely killed this role. In the book, Karen is this cool girl that you just want to be best friends with. Those vibes radiated through Waterhouse’s performance in its entirety.

Daisy, Camila, and Karen are my favorite characters in the book. They’re so distinct and independent. All the women who portrayed these characters in the series did a wonderful job.

Pete wasn’t in the show so it allowed Simone Jackson (Nabiyah Be) to shine so bright. Nabiyah Be was absolutely stellar as Simone. I loved watching her journey with finding herself as an artist and an individual. I’m so happy that Simone got her time to shine in this.

Will Harrison brought Graham Dunne’s innocence and ability to love deeply so greatly on screen. His chemistry with Waterhouse was authentic. The journey Graham and Karen go on is a happy one that proves to be heartbreaking in a matter of minutes.

Sebastian Chacon brought Warren Rojas’ chill personality to life so well. Josh Whitehouse did a great job with Eddie Roundtree. I wish the two of them had more of story and screentime.

Next up, the artistic aspects of the miniseries. The costume department nailed it. The production design was spot on. you felt like you were transported to the 1960s and 1970s. The series reminded me a lot of Almost Famous which was set during the same era and followed a fictional rock band. The two couldn’t be more different story-wise.

Along with the series, there was an album that got released which is what made Daisy Jones & the Six skyrocket to fame. The album ‘AURORA’  was released under Ellemar Records, a company owned by Amazon Studios. The album transports you back to the 60s and 70s rock scene. Phoebe Bridgers wrote Type of Guy which is featured in the series but not on the album. Marcus Mumford and Blake Mills have songwriting credits on the album. The album features vocal harmonies and choral melodies which were crafted by 70s rock icon Jackson Browne.

It’s a solid album that brings the songs Jenkins Reid wrote in the book to life with the help of experts who have immense knowledge of the craft. 

Overall, I was impressed with the adaptation. While it didn’t do the book justice, it did bring it to life in an incredible and refreshing way.

 

 

Daisy Jones & the Six is exclusively streaming on Prime Video.

Creators: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber

Cast: Riley Keough, Sam Claflin, Camila Morrone, Suki Waterhouse, Nabiyah Be

Producers: Reese Witherspoon, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Will Graham