Nick Hornby Writing Rolling Stones Series for FX

The series will take the band through 1972

The Rolling Stones, 1965
The Rolling Stones' pause on a stair case for a portrait at a press conference at the New York Hilton on October 28, 1965.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

What happens when the World’s Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band meets the era of Peak TV? This is not a rhetorical question, as it turns out; Pitchfork has the news that FX has greenlit the first two seasons of a new series about the band’s first decade of existence.

The series is set to be written by Nick Hornby, and it will take the band from its formation through 1972. That was a particularly significant year for the band, including the release of their landmark album Exile on Main Street.

The Hollywood Reporter‘s article on the series notes that Left Bank Pictures is producing it; Anglophiles and fans of historical drama may note that Left Bank is also the production company behind The Crown. Which begs the question: could this be the precursor to a Rolling Stones series that recasts the band every two seasons? What works for actual royalty might work just as well for the musical equivalent of royalty, after all.

This won’t be the first Stones-related television series of the 21st century. Mick Jagger was one of the co-creators of the high-profile HBO series Vinyl. Before that, he appeared as himself on the series The Knights of Prosperity, which was previously titled Let’s Rob … Mick Jagger.

The first decade of the Rolling Stones’ existence abounded with triumphs and tragedy. In the right hands, that could make for eminently watchable television. Soon enough, we’ll be able to see for ourselves if that’s the case with this new series.

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