The bestselling novel Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid has been adapted to a limited TV series, available to stream on Amazon Prime. The show stars Riley Keough as Daisy Jones and Sam Claflin as the band’s frontman, Billy Dunne. Reid has praised the adaptation for honoring the source material while expanding on the original lore.
The story follows singer-songwriter Daisy Jones in her rise to fame in L.A. during the 1970s, when she encounters the rock band “The Six”, which skyrockets them together to even greater success. However, their fall comes not long after, as conflicts within the band, and between Daisy and Billy Dunne (Claflin), tear them apart. While the show is a largely faithful adaptation, it does take several liberties in its adaptation. As such, here are the major differences between the Daisy Jones & the Six TV show and the book.
1. A Member of the Band From the Book Is Completely Missing
Pete Loving, the bassist of “the Six” is essentially non-existent in the series. While he does not get many lines in the book, it was still a surprising move to completely leave him out. Apparently that was also the reasoning, according to creator Scott Neustadter, who told Town & Country: “The Pete change was pretty simple. If you make a show and you have to cast Pete, the actor playing Pete is gonna want to know what his arc is and gonna want more, so Pete had to go“.
2. Billy and Camila Do Not Meet at a Wedding
Before “The Six” adopt that band name, they are “the Dunne Brothers.” During their early days, performing at wedding receptions, Billy (Sam Claflin) meets his future wife Camila (Camila Morrone), at a reception where she works as a waitress. However, in the show, their meet-cute takes place at a laundromat.
3. Simone’s Sexuality Is Different in the book
A very interesting and impactful difference the Daisy Jones & the Six TV show’s creators have taken was to turn Simone (Nabiyah Be), who is Daisy’s best friend, into a much more significant role by also potraying her as a queer woman. In the book, Simone almost only serves the purpose of re-telling Daisy’ s story from her view, whereas the series also depicts her rise to fame in the 1970s disco scene and how music impacted the LGBTQ+ movement.
4. Daisy Is Less Eccentric in the Series
Overall, the show presents Daisy Jones a lot more tame, than she was described in the book. In the book, she’s already a partying “Nepo baby,” who began taking drugs as a teenager, and who was neglected by her famous parents. Whereas the show portrays her as an upper middle-class, suburban teenager, who writes her own music in her room and dreams of a career as a singer.
5. Daisy and Billy Kiss in the TV Show
Essentially, it is not known if Daisy and Billy ever kiss in the book as they all characters are unreliable narrators. However, it happens in the series, right before Daisy records “More Fun to Miss,” a song that demands a certain level of aggression from her voice. Billy wants to give her a “reason” to belt out but also feel the song’s lyrics.
6. Camila Takes the “Aurora” Cover
While the book almost exclusively portrays Camila as Billy’s strong and supportive wife, she gets a career in photography in the series. It is her, who accidentally shoots the cover photo for the band’s album cover for “Aurora.” Even the opening credits, depicting several photographs, are from Camila’s perspective. This was an intriguing and interesting difference between the Daisy Jones & the Six book and TV show.
7. Karen and Graham Have a Slightly Different Relationship in the Series
In the novel, pianist Karen (Suki Waterhouse) and guitarist Graham (Will Harrison) get together after hooking up on tour, and after many flirtatious moments. Meanwhile, the show centers an element of jealousy by having Graham, his then-girlfriend, and Karen spend a day at the beach. Moreover, in the book, they keep their relationship hidden from their band members for the longest time, which is different in the show, since Karen tells the rest of the band about their relationship and they are utterly supportive.
8. The Camila and Eddie Romance is Non-Existent in the Book
Throughout the series, bassist Eddie (Josh Whitehouse) hints at having feelings for Billy’s wife Camila. In Episode Six of Daisy Jones & the Six, it is even implied that Eddie and Camila sleep together, and it is explained that they had known each other since early childhood. While this plotline seems out of the blue, considering it does not take place in the novel, it makes sense to add it in the show, since it fuels Eddie’s resentment of Billy.
9. The Series’ Ending Does Not Leave Anything Up to Interpretation
The book ends with Camila’s final letter to her daughters, giving them an incentive to let their Dad grieve but reminding him to connect with Daisy Jones, once he feels a bit better. The show implements that letter, however, read out loud by Daisy and then adds more closure to the story by switching to the final scene, where Billy knocks at Daisy’s door, implying that they probably will get together. This is easily one of the most notable difference between the Daisy Jones & the Six book and TV show.
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