Amazon Prime’s adaptation of the novel Daisy Jones & The Six has taken its fans by storm. With its exploration of ‘70s fashion and original music, the show has blown viewers away and drawn them into the era in which it takes place.

Author Taylor Jenkins Reid, who has written other notable titles such as The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, released Daisy Jones & The Six on March 5, 2019. She chose to outline the story as a fake documentary, which is a niche way of story building. Readers loved this format and quickly became attached to the characters. Following the novel’s success, Amazon Prime decided to work with Reid to adapt it into a television show.

The story follows the young Daisy Jones, a native of the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. She has a rocky relationship with her parents and finds sanctuary in rock and roll. She begins writing her own music as an outlet for dealing with her struggles and proves to be a prodigy. 

After realizing how difficult it would be to be taken seriously as a female songwriter, Jones decides to harness her grit and be her own authentic self, despite causing  tension among her band. Evan Casali (II) especially liked how Daisy, specifically in the book, “fought to have control over her artistic process and didn’t care about what other people thought about her for that.”

The main conflict of the book is between Jones and Billy Dunne, a brilliant but egotistical musician. When Jones starts collaborating with Dunne’s Band, the Six, the two musicians come together and create masterful music. The complex, romantic yet hostile relationship between the two grows throughout the novel, culminating in a chaotic band breakup. The novel explores the other characters phenomenally as well, fleshing out each of their backstories and motivations. Reid believes that side characters are often neglected, and she proves to be phenomenal at giving them the life they deserve.

Viewers agree that the overall highlight of the show is its well-developed female characters. Camilla, Billy’s wife, is especially outspoken and wise. Veronica Smith (I) agrees that “she was such a strong-willed female character who always stuck up for herself even in the face of her friends who had risen to fame.”

The band itself is also heavily based on Fleetwood Mac and the discord within the band. Smith agreed that the show “did a great job portraying the ‘70s rock culture, and was honestly giving Fleetwood Mac.” Many viewers loved the ‘70s magic the show offered, and the underlying layer of rock and roll discourse.

The show produced its own original music, using both lyrics included in the novel and lyrics written by the show’s production team. It was even filmed in the same recording studio where Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours was recorded, adding another layer of musical magic to the show.

Although the show has received rave reviews, many people took issue with its deviations from and omissions of the source material. These changes, although disappointing, ultimately push the show’s magic forward. The dramatization of media for television adaptations is not new, and therefore not all criticism is warranted.

Some fans of the novel were also disappointed by the lack of grit in the show’s portrayal of the 1970s. Carly Chung (I), a reader who watched the show, felt that “the aesthetics were a little too clean. It felt super polished and it could’ve been more nitty-gritty in a realistic way; the costumes were very ‘Free People.’”

Despite the criticism, the show has received lots of publicity, and its inclusion of celebrity actor Sam Claflin and well-established model and musician Suki Waterhouse supplemented its success.

Since the show is based on the book, it will not be renewed for another season. Overall, we would give it four out of five stars. It receives the deduction mainly due to the unnecessary changes, and its strengths include its unique format and engaging character relationships.