A young woman's obsession with a pop star takes a dark turn.A young woman's obsession with a pop star takes a dark turn.A young woman's obsession with a pop star takes a dark turn.
- Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys
- 6 wins & 26 nominations total
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Summary
Reviewers say 'Swarm' delves into obsessive fandom, mental illness, and societal pressures with a dark, satirical approach. The series is lauded for its unique narrative, striking visuals, and standout performances, especially by Dominique Fishback. However, opinions vary on its pacing, coherence, and character likability. Some find it provocative and artistically daring, while others deem it slow, disjointed, or excessively graphic. Its critique of modern celebrity culture and social media elicits both praise and criticism.
Featured reviews
I am really enjoying this series. It really is doing something fresh, about obsessive fans, especially the super fan; it may sound like its about Beyoncé-but it could be about anyone who has a following.
As others have noted, it is slow, but the build-up and character revelation is stunning.
For a series, it's filmed, edited and scripted in a very cinematic way. I love all the oversaturated colours and the monotonous, grinding soundtrack.
I was impressed with Paris Jackson and Billie Eilish were a welcomed addition to the story line - good casting choices.
What I like the most is that the main character, played by Dominique Fishback - she is brilliant, just super brilliant. She comes across as a real, life punctuated by flashes of mayhem and murder. She's different from other roles played by Black women - so proud and pleased. Her authentic lost soul and obsession with food and her idol are the driving forces of this show. Dominique plays her personality disorder so brilliantly that it is chilling. She is incredibly talented in this role, because you can see the psychopath within at every turn and that's not an easy thing to achieve.
I'm not sure where it's going and that's what keeps me watching. I want more shows like this with Black people taking the lead role.
As others have noted, it is slow, but the build-up and character revelation is stunning.
For a series, it's filmed, edited and scripted in a very cinematic way. I love all the oversaturated colours and the monotonous, grinding soundtrack.
I was impressed with Paris Jackson and Billie Eilish were a welcomed addition to the story line - good casting choices.
What I like the most is that the main character, played by Dominique Fishback - she is brilliant, just super brilliant. She comes across as a real, life punctuated by flashes of mayhem and murder. She's different from other roles played by Black women - so proud and pleased. Her authentic lost soul and obsession with food and her idol are the driving forces of this show. Dominique plays her personality disorder so brilliantly that it is chilling. She is incredibly talented in this role, because you can see the psychopath within at every turn and that's not an easy thing to achieve.
I'm not sure where it's going and that's what keeps me watching. I want more shows like this with Black people taking the lead role.
This show did none of the things I expected it to. A fantastic character study with captivating performances and cinematography, and creative sound design. The pacing was a perfect mix of exciting and artistic violence with periods of contemplation.
While I'm not up to date on all the Beyonce drama, I thought this was an engaging look at obsession and the extremes it can be pushed to.
I really love Glover's touch with the camera. He's not afraid of long still shots and extreme closeups, and there's never a boring shot. And I cannot praise the sound design and soundtrack enough. The buzzing bees and ominous stingers (no pun intended) when Dre's psyche are tested add so much suspense and reminded me of Candyman in the best way.
While I'm not up to date on all the Beyonce drama, I thought this was an engaging look at obsession and the extremes it can be pushed to.
I really love Glover's touch with the camera. He's not afraid of long still shots and extreme closeups, and there's never a boring shot. And I cannot praise the sound design and soundtrack enough. The buzzing bees and ominous stingers (no pun intended) when Dre's psyche are tested add so much suspense and reminded me of Candyman in the best way.
Nabers and Glover's artful and granular slasher/stalker series arrived with a tonne of weight and expectation around it but it ended up feeling a little unfinished. I was mainly here for the fantastic Fishback, who is brilliantly droll as the murderous and delusional Dre. I hope this proves to be her springboard to mega stardom. Swarm is strongest when it uses Dre to skewer contemporary pretences and conversations, and weakest when it lurches into step with dull serial killer tropes. There are some fantastic performances beyond Fishback, including a surprisingly engrossing turn from Billie Eilish of all people. A diverting experiment but outside of some memorable moments it doesn't really coalesce into anything that feels meaningful.
It is hard not to notice Dominique Fishback's subtle yet stellar performance alongside veteran Samuel L. Jackson in "The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey." Her acting talents scream depth in that series and I very much look forward to seeing her in a lead role. Well, she secures it here in "Swarm" and I can say that nobody else could have done justice to this complex role besides her. Fishback has that unique ability to convey emotions just with her face and body language. And when she has words to say, she melts into the character. She is pretty much the highlight of this TV series. "Swarm" is well-edited with some eclectic cinematography, however most supporting characters I find rather forgettable, except for Hailey, impressively played by Paris Jackson. Towards the middle, the episodes just churn repetitively, so it gets a bit boring. But it ticks up a little in the last two episodes.
An incredible performance in the lead role, some very interesting events, and a lot of originality.
This willingness to take risks gives us the best, but also the worst of Swarm, as it can be erratic in its pacing and how it presents what it has to say.
Aesthetically brilliant, the quality varies greatly from episode to episode (the cult one is brilliant), but above all, it is something we always want to see through to the end. I would also liked a bit more of character development in some supporting roles. The lack of plausibility of so many events in different episodes makes me evaluate the final product positively, but with some reservations.
This willingness to take risks gives us the best, but also the worst of Swarm, as it can be erratic in its pacing and how it presents what it has to say.
Aesthetically brilliant, the quality varies greatly from episode to episode (the cult one is brilliant), but above all, it is something we always want to see through to the end. I would also liked a bit more of character development in some supporting roles. The lack of plausibility of so many events in different episodes makes me evaluate the final product positively, but with some reservations.
Did you know
- TriviaEvery episode deals with real news stories, real events, or Internet rumors that have happened.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards (2024)
- How many seasons does Swarm have?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime34 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.50 : 1
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