Imagine blinding lights shining in your face, a cheering crowd blasting in your ears and the soul of rock and roll coursing through your veins; for you, all of these things are as vital as air to breathe. Our passions and aspirations are what give us the motivation to keep reaching for success, but sometimes, that may not be enough.

Amazon Prime’s miniseries, “Daisy Jones and the Six,” is based on the award-winning novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The show follows the journey of fictional 70s rock and roll band The Six as they quickly rise to stardom. But when their lead singer Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin) is admitted to rehab, their tour and music careers are suddenly put on pause. 

Upon Billy’s return, the band is eager to get back into the business and hit the ground running but they are faced with quite a few setbacks. With Billy’s road to sobriety as well as The Six being dropped by their record label, the remaining band members are left to pick up the pieces. 

Before Billy’s rehabilitation, The Six brought a fresh sound to the music industry and the rock and roll genre as a whole, but since Billy’s recovery, many up and coming bands have replicated their style. Their producer, Teddy Price (Tom Wright), decides that the only way to save the band is to bring in the headstrong singer-songwriter Daisy Jones (Riley Keough). 

The new addition of Daisy to The Six isn’t exactly seamless when she and Billy are immediately found butting heads. The tension between Daisy and Billy is the central part of the plot and it creates division amongst the band members; this is the first time that Billy’s authority is challenged. Not only does Daisy’s presence bring the band out of their bad reputation but it also changes the group dynamic and hierarchy.

But their tension also translates to chemistry, which, later on in the show, creates a source of friction between Billy and his wife, Camila (Camila Morrone).

And by the end of the show, it’s clear that this wasn’t the story of a small town band rising to fame; it was about Camila, the glue that held the band together. Her character is so complex because she was The Six’s biggest fan, yet she was often pushed to the side and discounted as just Billy’s wife. 

Camila’s role and importance is perfectly summed up by the band’s lead pianist Karen (Suki Waterhouse): “She was the reason I joined the band. She was the reason I stayed.”

The most interesting element of the series is that the story is told in a non-linear docu-style format; sprinkled throughout the episodes are interviews from the band members decades after their breakup. It gives viewers significant insight into the subplots and perspectives outside of the conflict between Daisy and Billy. Each character had their own charm and the story was neither one-sided nor one-dimensional.

This was also my favorite aspect of the show because we’re able to see the personal growth within each of the characters and navigate with them as they find their inner peace. 

The series also doesn’t shy away from showing the ugly parts of the rock n’ roll lifestyle. With both Billy’s and Daisy’s substance abuse problems, it is evident that the demands of tour life took a toll on them and the band as a whole. There is a sense of pain and a desperate need for healing that can only be addressed when The Six break up, and from there, they are finally able to explore their identities as individuals rather than as a group.

In fact, “Daisy Jones and the Six” reminded me a lot of the movie “Almost Famous.” Both capture the essence of 1970s rock and roll with entertaining dialogue and equally beautiful music. What’s even more impressive is that Claflin and Keough had no prior singing experience before filming the show. 

Not to mention, I love the idea of adapting a book into a TV show rather than a movie. It allows not only for a more accurate representation of the book, but it also allows us as viewers to dig deeper into the plot and feel more connected with the characters. Even though I found parts of the series to drag on, the loveable characters got me through it.

To put it simply, the cast was phenomenal. I felt the emotion behind their words and it’s clear that the actors have fostered friendships on and off screen; the chemistry between the cast is unmatched. I was especially impressed with the performance of Camila Morrone, and I hope we get to see her in more sophisticated upcoming releases.

While I wasn’t familiar with the book before watching this miniseries, Amazon’s show adaptation made me want to read the original novel. From the cool outfits and the catchy music to the cast’s chemistry, “Daisy Jones and the Six” was memorable and enjoyable to watch.