Genre: Dark comedy, Comedy horror, Psychological horror, Psychological thriller, Satire,
Created by Janine Nabers, Donald Glover
Starring: Dominique Fishback.
Music by Dascha Dauenhauer
Executive producers: Donald Glover, Janine Nabers, Stephen Glover, Fam Udeorji, Steven Prinz, Michael Schaefer
Production companies: Gilga, Naberhood Productions, RBA, Big Indie Pictures, Amazon Studios
Network: Amazon Prime Video
Plot: An obsessed, Houston-based fan goes to increasingly violent lengths for her favorite R&B singer.
Season 1 of Swarm was Surprisingly Good.
Pros: I enjoyed how this show attacked the issue of “How far obsession will take you” head on. The look of this show does look like something a bit like a 80s Horror project to me. Dominique Fishback was incredible in the main role. I congratulate the creative team making a world so mad and entertaining in parts and I was surprised by the ending.
Cons: Certain parts of the series do turn me off at times and none of the side characters didn’t get their time in the spotlight that much in my opinion.
Casts & Characters:
Main:
- Dominique Fishback as Andrea “Dre” Greene, a young woman whose obsession with Ni’Jah, a world-famous popstar, leads her on a dark and murderous path across the United States
Recurring:
- Chloe Bailey as Marissa “Ris” Jackson, Dre’s foster sister
Guest:
- Damson Idris as Khalid, Marissa’s boyfriend
- Rory Culkin as Marcus, a man Dre meets at the club and goes home with
- Karen Rodriguez as Erica, Marissa’s friend and boss
- Paris Jackson as Hailey, a stripper who has an abusive boyfriend and who goes by the name Halsey, a reference to her supposed biracialism
- X Mayo as Cheeks, Dre’s boss at the strip club who is also a stripper
- Atkins Estimond as Reggie, a man Dre is hunting who tweeted negative things about Marissa and Ni’Jah
- Byron Bowers as George, a sound man whom Dre uses to get closer to Ni’Jah
- Stephen Glover as Caché, a rapper and Ni’Jah’s husband
- Billie Eilish as Eva, a women’s empowerment cult leader that takes Dre under her wing
- Kate Lyn Sheil as Cricket, a girl who offers Dre a place to stay during Bonnaroo
- Victoria Blade as Salem
- Leon as Harris, Marissa’s birth father who blames Dre for her death
- Rickey Thompson as Kenny, a man who works at a phone repair store in Houston, who refuses to fix Marissa’s phone for Dre
- Heather Alicia Simms as Loretta Greene, a detective in the “real world” who has started to piece together that these killings have a common thread, the victims have all insulted a superstar with a vicious fan base on social media
- Kiersey Clemons as Rashida, a graduate student with whom Dre falls in love
- Cree Summer as Rashida’s mother
- Norm Lewis as Rashida’s father
In addition, Nirine S. Brown co-stars as Ni’Jah, a pop star whom Dre idolizes.
I recommend watching this series on Amazon Prime Video.
Rating: 9 out of 10 Stars
Ryan Balkwill:
Resident TV reviewer,
Level Best Art Cafe