In 1975, the United Kingdom saw, heard, and learned (and aggressively so) what punk rock really is. Their very own homegrown group, the Sex Pistols, made sure they did. Though it lasted only a couple of years, Sex Pistols initiated and propagated the punk movement in the UK like no one ever did before, inspiring many punk musicians and alternative rock bands in the decades to come. With vocalist Johnny Rotten (John Lydon), guitarist Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook, and bassist Glen Matlock, they changed the history of English music and became a major influence on contemporary style statement, which remains to this day. Radical and anarchic, the Sex Pistols are synonymous with the punk movement and its culture. And now, more than four decades later, the band and their story are revived in the all-new FX series, Pistol.
The miniseries, based on Steve Jones’ memoir, Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol, is directed by Danny Boyle and stars Toby Wallace, Anson Boon, Louis Partridge, Jacob Slater, and Christian Lees in leading roles. The plot focuses on Jones as the founding member of the band and how he drives the revolutionary saga of the Sex Pistols, transforming a bunch of wild and rebellious working-class kids into an epic and intense music group that challenged the government and changed modern English culture forever.
If you are a fan of the Sex Pistols, you’ll most likely love Pistol. And you’ll also most likely want to watch something along the same lines. So, here are some of the best shows about music bands, some funny and uplifting, while others are intense and heart-breaking. Enjoy!
Tenacious D (1997-2000)
You aren’t a true fan of Jack Black if you aren’t a fan of his band Tenacious D, them's the rules. And if you've never heard of them, then this eponymous show is the best way to get oriented with JB and KG - the rock band duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who founded the “greatest band on Earth”. The series, co-created by them alongside David Cross and Bob Odenkirk, is a fictionalized account of the real band and its members, featuring their struggles, friendship, and individual quirks, that all lead to their musical feats.
Known for being hard-hitting, their music revolves around themes of sex, Satan, and the reasons why they are the “greatest band on Earth.” Every episode shows how the two artists and friends come together to find inspiration in day-to-day events and ends with performing their newest song at an open mic. Tenacious D ran on HBO from 1997 to 2000 and was later included in the DVD Tenacious D's The Complete Master Works. All songs from the show are recorded for their albums Tenacious D and Pick of Destiny. All episodes of Tenacious D are currently streaming on HBO Max.
Roadies (2016)
Being a roadie sounds fun but did you ever wonder how that life actually is? This comedic portrayal gives you an inside look at the lives of roadies of the fictional band called the Staton-House Band. Behind the glamorous stage-life of the rock stars they follow, roadies live wildly, never letting the romance dim down. And while they keep the show going on, their personal lives often take a backseat and suffer, which is explored at length in the show.
This Showtime comedy-drama series is created by Cameron Crowe and features an ensemble cast with Luke Wilson, Carla Gugino, Imogen Poots, Rafe Spall, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Peter Cambor, Colson Baker, and Ron White, among others. Roadies features many real-life bands and songs, with on-screen performances and cameos by artists like Halsey, Jim James, Phantogram, John Mellencamp, Gary Clark Jr., etc. You can now stream the series on Hulu.
Flight of the Conchords (2007-2009)
This is the story of the eponymous real-life two-man band from New Zealand featuring the comedy musical duo Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie. The series follows the artists in a fictionalized retelling of themselves, where they leave their native land and life in New Zealand to go to New York City, seeking fame and fortune in the land of dreams.
As the duo tries to establish themselves as a folk band in the big city, they are faced with new challenges, new people, and a whole new culture. From dealing with their incompetent manager to understanding American women, the plot covers Clement and McKenzie’s journey of love, life, and music.
Flight of the Conchords ran on HBO for two seasons, from 2007 to 2009, and received 10 Emmy Award nominations. The series is currently on HBO Max.
We Are Lady Parts (2021-Present)
This rock band is just as wild as their name! The British sitcom follows the titular all-female Muslim punk rock band from London and showcases the diverse culture of the city in its characters and music. The series is about five women, Amina, Saira, Ayesha, Bisma, and Momtaz, who come together to form a world-shattering, expectation-breaking musical group. The plot follows the various struggles of the five women as they navigate love, friendship, and cultural differences and how they discover themselves and their talent through their musical journey.
Created, written, and directed by Nida Manzoor, We Are Lady Parts stars Anjana Vasan, Sarah Kameela Impey, Juliette Motamed, Faith Omole, and Lucie Shorthouse, in leading roles. The show has been renewed for a second season and you can watch Season 1 on Peacock.
The Get Down (2016-2017)
This musical drama series is created by Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adly Guirgis. The Netflix original is set in the late 70s in NYC’s South Bronx, where we see the rise of hip-hop and disco from the POV of a group of teenagers. The story starts in 1996 when a famous artist raps about his musical journey to his audience at a concert. Every episode opens with him rapping the story, and goes back and forth, from the past to the present. The rap serves as recaps of previous episodes and cues to the next one.
The Get Down stars Justice Smith, Shameik Moore, Herizen F. Guardiola, Skylan Brooks, Tremaine Brown Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Jimmy Smits among others. The series boasts great music, and a great cast, and is also appreciated for its narrative, which is a mix of fictionalized events and real footage, and news broadcasts from the 1970s.
The two-part series, with 11 episodes, ran from 2016 to 2017 and is currently available on Netflix.
Vinyl (2016)
This star-studded, uber-stylish HBO series deals with the transition of music culture in America in the 1970s. Vinyl follows Richie Finestra, a New York-based ambitious and shrewd owner of American Century Records, trying to keep his music label alive. The golden days of rock-n-roll are fading, as the new wave of punk and disco are taking over. In the middle of these winds of change, Richie is desperate to save his name and his company and navigate the changing social and cultural scene. Having lost his mojo, he finds it difficult to discover new talent or good music, until a major event changes his life. This could save his career but could be detrimental to his personal life.
Created by Mick Jagger, Martin Scorsese, Rich Cohen, and Terence Winter, the ensemble cast of this drama series includes, Bobby Cannavale, Paul Ben-Victor, P. J. Byrne, Max Casella, Ato Essandoh, James Jagger, J. C. MacKenzie, Jack Quaid, Ray Romano, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Juno Temple, and Olivia Wilde, among others. You can watch the show on HBO Max.
Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll (2015-2016)
Contrary to how the name of the series sounds, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll is a comedy series created by Denis Leary, who also stars in the same. The plot follows a rock star and his estranged daughter and how their relationship dynamics influence their careers.
Johnny Rock is the former lead singer of the famed New York rock band, The Heathens. Though a popular band in the late 80s and early 90s, they broke up after only one album, owing to Johnny’s reckless lifestyle. Years later, when Johnny is struggling to survive in the industry, life gives him a second chance. He learns about a 21-year daughter that he has but never knew about, and now she wants to become a singer. So, she proposes that her father should reunite and reform The Heathens but make her the lead singer. Trying to stay afloat in the new age of music on one hand, while learning to be a father and mentor to his new-found daughter, Johnny navigates his challenges and discovers a whole new side to himself.
Besides Leary as Johnny Rock, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll also stars John Corbett, Elizabeth Gillies, Robert Kelly, John Ales, and Elaine Hendrix in major roles. The series is currently streaming on Hulu.