How far would you go to see Beyoncé in concert? That’s the provocative question posed in Amazon Prime’s new horror/comedy series Swarm, created by Donald Glover and Houston's Janine Nabers of Atlanta fame. For Dre (Dominique Fishback) who desperately wants to see her hero Ni’Jah (a Houston superstar loosely based on Queen Bey) in concert, the answer is: much further than she should.

It’s a compelling premise. There are, after all, very few fandoms that can compare to Queen Bey’s. Dre's devotion to Ni'Jah drives many of the story lines in Swarm, placing her in some interesting predicaments (spoilers ahead): joining a cult, sneaking into an after party, and killing random Twitter users who dare direct their tweets against Ni’Jah.

One of the other prominent driving forces in Swarm? The city itself. “The idea was to really solidify Houston as a character in this story,” Nabers told Texas Highways. “It’s the base for who this woman is. It’s the foundation of where she comes from. It’s where the artist that she’s obsessed with also comes from. The pilot was shot in Los Angeles. There’s obviously a different energy in LA than Houston, but there’s a lot of similarities. In Swarm, we wanted to mash that up with this Southern aesthetic and give it a metropolitan vibe.”

While the connections between Ni’Jah and Beyoncé are clear (but not explicit), it's still fun to draw comparisons. There are mentions of Ni’Jah’s “more spiritual” sister, a nod to Bey’s younger sister, Solange Knowles. The cast even includes Beyoncé's protege Chlöe Bailey, who plays Dre’s sister, Marissa, and Damson Idris (Snowfall) as Marissa’s love interest, who sports an OG Houston Rockets bomber jacket in the first episode. Even Ni’Jah’s Houston tour date falls on the same day as Beyoncé's 2016 concert at NRG Stadium. A coincidence? We think not.

Overall Swarm is an enjoyable comedic and dramatic roller-coaster ride that mashes up emotions and genres. One moment you’re laughing, the next you’re watching Dre happily dispose of her next victim.

If you complete the seven-show series, you'll get a reveal that shines a not-always-complimentary spotlight on stan culture and how it can very easily creep from fandom into dangerous fanaticism.

And, of course, this much Houston-ness has the Twittersphere all, well, atwitter, with opinions on things small and large, including how well H-Town is represented on screen:

y’all were dragging Chloe for Swarm when y’all should’ve been dragging Damson for using the same accent he does in Snowfall for a Black man from Houston!

— JP (@jordanparkr) March 22, 2023

ok wait now dre is a stripper lmao this is so houston 😂 #swarm

— cherise johnson (@yourCheriseAmor) March 18, 2023

If you would like to be in a group chat to unpack the trauma you experienced from watching #swarm…let me know.

Group chat will be made by the end of tonight.

— PlayboiJ 🐰 (@HeshimaSpeaks) April 3, 2023