Daisy Jones & The Six TV Show to Book Differences

Book adaptations have given us some of the most beloved movies and TV shows of all time, and the new Amazon Prime Video series “Daisy Jones & The Six” is positioned to be the next one. The show is based on the hit novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which follows the titular rock band, which is itself fictional but inspired by some of music’s most iconic groups. The first three episodes were released on the streamer on March 3, and readers will probably be surprised by how much the show has changed from the book that inspired it. The main story is still intact, following the rise and fall of Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin), Daisy Jones (Riley Keough), Camila Dunne (Camila Marone), Graham Dunne (Will Harrison), Karen Sirko (Suki Waterhouse), and company. But there are big differences to how they get to the top, how things fall apart, and where they end up landing. Reid herself said on Instagram before the premiere, “if the book is my child, the adaptation is my grandchild.”

Of course, the biggest change the show makes from the book is the format. The book is written as a fake oral history, and every person has different interpretations of the events. The show includes clips from a “Behind the Music”-style documentary, but it’s mostly told via the events of the 1970s.

Another major difference is that the creators of the show wrote totally new songs for the series, keeping only a handful of the track titles for the band’s album, “Aurora.” Ahead, we’re breaking down more of the biggest changes from the book’s plot from the first few episodes.

The Growth of the Dunne Brothers Band

The show opens with Billy and Graham in Pittsburgh. In the book, they’re both in high school when they decide to start the Dunne Brothers band together (which will become The Six). In the series, Billy is out of high school already, and he seems to be a bit older when he joins a band that Graham started. Like in the series, they perform at a wide range of gigs, including a wedding where Billy and Graham see their deadbeat dad. But in the book they ignore him; in the show, Billy punches their father in the face.

The early makeup of the band is also different — and changes for different reasons. In the book, Chuck Williams is a member of the Dunne Brothers band, but he gets drafted and dies in Vietnam. In the show, Chuck Loving (Jack Romano) is a band member in Pittsburgh, but he leaves to go to dental school.

Billy and Camila’s Early Romance

In Reid’s telling, Billy and Camila meet after the wedding where Billy and Graham see their dad. Camila is working as a waitress at the hotel’s bar, and he goes over to her and asks for her number. In the series, they meet at a laundromat. Camila already knows who Billy is when they have their first encounter. In both meetings, he promises to write a song for her.

In the show, once the band decide to move to Los Angeles, Camila opts to go with them immediately. In the book, they break up when the band relocate to LA. Billy calls her when they finally sign their record contract, proposes to her, and she moves out to California to be with him.

The Six Members — and the Origin of the Band’s Name

The show changes how many people are in The Six. In the book, there are six people in the band before Daisy joins, but the show eliminates Pete Loving, bringing the crew down to five. Warren Rhodes becomes Warren Rojas (Sebastian Chacon), and Eddie Loving becomes Eddie Roundtree (Josh Whitehouse).

So how do they justify the name? When the band get together to pick a name, they decide that Camila is the sixth member, thus, The Six. In the book, no one can remember why they picked the name, and they all have different reasons for it.

Daisy’s Journey to Performing

Book Daisy records her own solo album before she ever meets The Six, but it’s of covers that the record label forces her to perform. It’s not a huge hit, but it establishes her as a serious vocalist. When she links up with The Six, she’s working on her new album. Show Daisy has literally never been in a recording studio before she teams up with The Six.

How The Six Meet Teddy Price

In the book, The Six sign with Rod as their manager, and while playing shows in LA, they get noticed by legendary producer Teddy Price (played by Tom Wright in the series). But in the show, Rod (Timothy Olyphant) only gives them a little help in LA, and Billy has a chance run-in with Teddy and convinces him to let The Six play for him. Teddy loves them.

Billy Going to Rehab and the Aftermath

In both the book and show, Billy cheats on Camila on the band’s first tour, and he misses the birth of their daughter Julia, heading to rehab instead. But the aftermath of that is very different in both works. In the show, Billy leaving rehab is very dramatic, and he and Camila are tense for a long time after. He’s even too afraid to pick up baby Julia until Camila tells him to get over it. In the book, Camila and Julia go with Graham to pick up Billy, and as soon as Billy sees them he feels so grateful for his family. “I told her I would spend the rest of my life trying to be twice as good as she deserved,” he says in the novel. Camila adds, “I think you have to have faith in people before they earn it. Otherwise it’s not faith, right?”

In addition, Billy’s rehab stint in the show completely derails plans for The Six, and they immediately get dropped by their label. Eddie notes they’re basically back where they started. When Billy gets out of rehab in the Amazon Prime Video version, he decides to leave the band, and they attempt to find a replacement singer. After talking to Camila, he writes a new song and asks the band to let him back in. That song turns into “Look at Us Now (Honeycomb).” Teddy likes the song, but the label doesn’t want to take another bet on The Six. But when Teddy plays the song for Daisy, she has ideas to make it better, and their collaboration is born.

In the book, there are basically no career consequences for Billy going to rehab. He’s happy to join the band again, and The Six immediately cut a second album for the label. The record label doesn’t like it, and that’s when Teddy has the idea to bring Daisy in.

“Honeycomb” and “Look at Us Now”

Daisy’s changes to “Honeycomb” are much less extensive in the book. She mostly turns the statements of love that Billy’s written into questions. In the show, she’s pretty much completely rewritten the lyrics to “Honeycomb,” and it turns into “Look at Us Now.”

Simone and Bernie

In both the book and series, Simone Jackson (Nabiyah Be) is a friend to Daisy who has a thriving disco career of her own. But the series also gives Simone her own love life. In episode three, Simone meets Bernie (Ayesha Harris) at a party and they immediately connect. Bernie does not exist in the book, so that entire plot is series-exclusive.

New episodes of “Daisy Jones & The Six” stream on Fridays on Prime Video.