Daisy Jones & The Six review: A '70s musical drama that's hard not to tear through

The anticipated 10-parter chronicles the rise and fall of Daisy Jones & The Six; how they came to meet, the argument-filled process behind their iconic album Aurora, their sold-out stadium tour, and the relationships impacted by this dynamic group of people.

It's a tale loosely based on Fleetwood Mac and their own sky-rocketing fame that came off the back of their 11th studio album Rumours, a project filled with its own share of love affairs and scandal. As drummer Mick Fleetwood has said previously, Rumours was an album that "almost killed us" – and it's a familiar sentiment that is carried through Daisy Jones & The Six as we're taken on a very similar trajectory.

Daisy Jones, whose real name is Margaret, joins The Six for one initial song feature. Played by Riley Keough, Daisy is the kind of electric personality that people gravitate towards in a room and is just effortlessly cool. So it's no wonder that Sam Claflin's Billy Dunne is immediately on edge when he learns that she'll be featuring on his song.

It's a moment that interestingly comes three episodes in, after we learn of their own dramatic journeys into the music world – Billy as a man struggling with fame and a new family, and Daisy as a woman having parents who never believed in her. It's because of this added context that we understand why they come into that first meeting the way they do.

Daisy is understandably wary of working with men after having had passing comments and whole song lyrics stolen to propel their own careers, while Billy has already had a taste of being a pined-after band frontman and is trying to lead this new opportunity in a different direction.

Daisy makes a point of rewriting Billy's song, forcing him to rethink who he's writing for and why. It goes on to be the only version of the song that they end up releasing and soon, the pair come to know each other through their personal safe space of the recording studio microphone. It's there that sparks start to fly, with lingering glances and explosive arguments already pointing at a passion they're not even aware of themselves.

The biopic format of the series helps in this respect. While we see how things pan out at the time in the '70s, we also get to see the band 20 years later in 1997, talking about things retrospectively. Although you'd expect things to be somewhat sour on reflection, each band member talks with a fondness. In regards to Billy and Daisy especially, their own talking head interviews are peppered with telling face-wide grins and pensive stares off into the distance.

It's all a testament to the effortless chemistry between Keough and Claflin, a starry pair who are terribly convincing as the twin flames they've been characterised to be.

They're both battling their own inner demons, turning to excessive amounts of alcohol and drugs in the way of the rock and roll lifestyle they're living. They seem to just get each other but disappointingly, we never get to witness that in its entirety. We hear how they go off driving or on trips while writing songs for the album but these kind of character-defining moments are left off-screen.

It's also part of the mock biopic style this series is framed in. With time, Daisy and Billy's memories are less reliable and speaking decades later also comes with apprehension to tell the whole truth. So, it's understandable that some of those more scandalous moments may have been intentionally omitted from their own interviews altogether.

Still, we're left to fill in those blanks ourselves. When a series is hinged on this pair of individuals, it would have been nice to see more of those quieter moments together where their feelings really start to fold into the drama. We get a fleeting scene here and there but soon, there's a level of familiarity between the pair that feels as though we've missed a crucial beat somewhere, especially since Billy really seems to despise Daisy at first.

They're a nod to Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks most definitely, but for most, the series will read like a subtle re-telling of their own story more than anything.

For a present-day audience, it is the kind of rock band romantic chemistry we haven't seen in a very long time. That's part of the reason you can't quite peel your eyes away from this Prime Video series. Much of the intrigue of it all is whether or not Daisy and Billy ever act on their desires or if they'll even confront what's happening.

We know the band comes to a dramatic end – it's outlined in the opening scenes of the series – and the episodes unfold at a speedy pace, leading up to that fateful final show. But the drama could have done with slowing down a little more; we go from the teenage Dunne Brothers band to Los Angeles recording studios to tour buses and sold-out shows in what often feels like the blink of an eye.

And you'll be forgiven for thinking that the band's success didn't really impact them because truthfully, we never really see it. Some added introspection on how their overnight success had a personal effect, rather than just in the context of relationships and parties, would have been a great addition.

Sure, it's the life they all wanted but it often feels like Karen (Suki Waterhouse), Graham (Will Harrison), Eddie (Josh Whitehouse) and Warren (Sebastian Chacon) fade into the distance in comparison to Daisy, Billy and his wife Camila (Camila Morrone). Arguably, the show is about the latter but in those final few episodes, we start to hear more from the other band members in what seems like a haphazard way to ensure they're included before everything wraps up. Alas, it is an apt reflection of the way that popular bands do tend to focus on their lead singers.

Going into watching Daisy Jones & The Six, it's hard not to be conscious of the fact that this will likely be one of the most hyped-up series of the year. It's a series that is based on one of the most talked-about bestselling novels by Taylor Jenkins Reid, is produced by Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine and comes with its own loyal built-in fanbase. It's even getting its own album.

Since its limited series announcement, avid book fans have been anticipating every turn of this new drama, waiting to see who was cast, how the plot would unfold, and whether or not the songs, vibe and chemistry would be done justice on the small screen – and for all intents and purposes, it has been.

For the most part, it's a fun watch, and you'll quickly find yourself wanting to tear through the episodes with the same kind of chaotic feel as the characters within this series. It's a musical drama about the slightly-damaged individuals in this fictional rock band and it does tackle themes like addiction, harassment, and discrimination — but all with a very light touch.

Mostly, it's a fun time-warp of a series that's nostalgic and messy in all of the right places. It's filled with naturally electric performances, über cool sets, costumes, make-up and catchy songs. It's a ride worth going on, even if you do know from the first episode that it doesn't necessarily have the happiest of endings.

Daisy Jones & The Six will premiere on Prime Video on Friday 3rd March. Try Amazon Prime Video for free for 30 days.

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