Online fandoms and modern day Stan culture are rife for skewering, but "Atlanta" creator Donald Glover bites off more than he can chew with "Swarm," a darkly comic satire of superfans who take things too far.
The seven-episode series' subversive conceit turns an obsessive fan of an uber-successful R&B diva (think Beyoncé, the show sure is) into — spoiler alert to follow — a serial killer who slays, literally, in her queen's name. Beyond that, the show isn't quite sure what it's saying about the nature of today's fan economy, but at least it has a fascinating turn from star Dominique Fishback to hang itself on.
Fishback ("Judas and the Black Messiah," TV's "The Deuce") plays Dre, whose singular obsession with pop megastar Ni'Jah is well past the point of sanity. "Swarm," which is co-created by Janine Nabers (HBO's "Watchmen"), makes its own sport out of comparing Ni'jah to Beyoncé, from the name given to her fan base (the Swarm, akin to Bey's Hive) right down to the font of her rapper husband's album art and its characters' casual lemonade consumption. It has the receipts.
