From Community and Atlanta to Childish Gambino and an incredibly successful writing career, Donald Glover has proven himself to be one of the most influential voices in Hollywood. In 2023, he created the satirical horror comedy series Swarm alongside Janine Nabers, who had previously collaborated with Glover on Atlanta. Although Donald Glover himself does not appear in the series, he serves as an executive producer, and his signature style previously seen in Atlanta, is fairly noticeable throughout.

Inspired by real life events to some extent, it showcases the dark and twisted side of celebrity worship and obsession, commonly known as stan culture, and how far some people are willing to go for their idols. The series encourages viewers to keep watching, as it demands their attention in order to understand how and why everything unfolds. It is clear from the start that Swarm is something made to be experienced rather than explained.

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Stan culture has been around for as long as the concept of celebrities has. However, the rise of social media has made it increasingly easy for fans to feel connected to their idols, and it has served as an eye-opener about the toxic side of celebrity worship. Swarm, which can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video, takes this ongoing cultural phenomenon and takes it to the extreme, showing how stars and public figures can become way more than just a hobby to some people and how this parasocial connection can lead them to commit unspeakable acts.

While the series portrays these situations from a satirical perspective, leaning towards the absurd, it still feels eerily real, proving just how accustomed to intense fan behaviors society is. Dominique Fishback takes on the leading role of Andrea “Dre” Greene, a young woman obsessed with Ni’Jah, a pop star played by Nirine S. Brown. Chloe Bailey co-stars in the supporting role of Marissa, Dre’s roommate and foster sister. Many names, including Damson Idris, Rory Culkin, Paris Jackson, and Billie Eilish, making her acting debut, play guest roles.

What Is Swarm About?

Swarm follows Dre (Fishback), a young woman with a troubled past. She is a big fan of Ni’Jah, a world-famous pop star, whose fandom is referred to as the “swarm.” While at first it may seem that Dre’s love for Ni’Jah is quite strong but harmless, it is quickly revealed that this is not the case. She is obsessed to the point where her entire life revolves around Ni’Jah. Not only is she a fan of Ni’Jah’s music, but also knows every public detail about her personality, her style, her family, and her private life. She refuses to grow up and have a life outside the fandom, as Ni’Jah is, quite literally, the only thing that she has any interest in. Besides her idol, Dre is also extremely attached to Marissa (Bailey), her roommate and former foster sister, who is also a fan of Ni’Jah, which is what made their bond so strong during their youth. Unlike Dre, however, Marissa’s interest in the pop star has decreased with age, and she has a normal life, a boyfriend, and other interests.

Swarm Quick Facts

• Malia Obama served as a writer on the series and earned a teleplay credit for episode 5
• The show earned two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and Outstanding Writing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie
• Dominique Fishback was originally chosen to play Marissa but asked to play the role of Dre

After a series of traumatic events, Dre essentially becomes a serial killer, and embarks on a journey across the United States, hurting anyone she comes across who talks about Ni’Jah in a negative way. Each episode follows Dre as she meets and gets close to new people throughout her murderous travels. She is willing to go as far as it takes to prove her devotion to Ni’Jah, and tells herself that she is doing this out of love for the singer, but some hidden intentions come to light in the latter episodes.

Towards the end of the season, a big twist completely changes the narrative and course of the series, further adding to the already established dark and suspenseful tone. It is important to note that Swarm does not answer most of the questions it asks, leaving a majority of conclusions open to the audience’s interpretation. The storytelling is far from conventional, and most of the events are shown from Dre's point of view, an unreliable narrator with a unique and twisted view of the world she lives in

Is Swarm Based On A True Story?

From the get go, it is made clear that Ni'Jah, the pop star that Swarm presents, takes inspiration in Beyoncé. The series shows several parallels to the real-life superstar that are not meant to be subtle, such as the kind of music Ni'Jah makes, her overall aesthetic, and the name of Ni'Jah's fandom and the show's title itself, "Swarm," being a direct nod to Beyoncé's fandom, known as the “Beyhive.” Ahead of the show's premiere, Donald Glover said (via The Hollywood Reporter):

A few other parallels that, while perhaps less subtle to the general public, will still be easily identifiable by anyone familiar with Beyoncé and her career, include Ni'Jah being pregnant with twins, characters pitting Ni'Jah against her sister, which references Beyoncé often being compared to her sister Solange, the fact that both artists are from Houston, and the fictional pop star's visual album "Festival" being a nod to Beyoncé's "Lemonade."

While Beyoncé is known to have a pretty huge and dedicated fanbase, in this day and age she is not the only one, and fans of most big artists will likely find similarities between the show and their own experiences as members of a dedicated fandom. The show itself is a meta-commentary about the obsession of fans and celebrity worship, both online and in real life, and how stan culture can sometimes even feel like an actual cult. It takes the question about how far someone is willing to go for a person they’ve never met and takes it to the absurd, while simultaneously making it feel extremely real.

Before every episode, there is a disclaimer stating that the series is not a work of fiction, and any similarity between the people and events of the show and real life are intentional. While Swarm isn’t based on a specific real-life story, the events showcased could very well be real. Each individual episode takes some sort of inspiration from real life events and internet rumors. The character of Dre is fictional, and not based on any real life serial killer, but gathering bits of real people, situations, and toxic fan behavior.

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