'Angelyne': Peacock limited series charts blonde LA bombshell's rise to fame

The series is based on the life of the icon who overtook LA billboards in 1984

PUBLISHED MAY 19, 2022

Emmy Rossum in a still from 'Angelyne' (Peacock)

Peacock's new limited series 'Angelyne' gives out a Marilyn Monroe biography vibe of sorts. The series explores the real-life story of Angelyne, a blonde beauty who found some unusual fame in the 1980s Los Angeles.

The artist came to prominence in 1984 after the appearance of a series of iconic billboards in and around LA. The billboards only said "Angelyne" and pictured her posing suggestively. The series dives deep into the icon’s life and gives viewers an idea of how she presented herself to everyone and made a luxurious life for herself.

'Angelyne': 5 things you need to know about Peacock show based on the '80s icon

The series opens with a look at a young Angelyne, as ambitious as any other girl, yet different. She is ready to face anything that comes her way and use any opportunity to become famous.

Angelyne befriends Cory Hunt from the Blue Band and tries to use them as her ladder to the top. Over the course of five episodes, we see her need for control over her own self-perception grow stronger and stronger. The plot lays out all the men who get sucked into the black hole of her love - or lust - and then spit out once they have served their purpose.

Among them, there's Freddy (Charlie Rowe), who owns a band that Angelyne tries to make her way into, only to shred it to pieces just to grow big. Then there's Max Allen (Lukas Gage), who attempts to make a documentary on her, but in vain. Besides, Harold Wallach (Martin Freeman), a poor billboard printer, gets tricked into becoming her manager. Throughout the series, we see Angelyne call Marilyn Monroe her 'honorary mother' and do everything in her power to become like her.

The final parts of the series show where Angylene came from. It casts light on her troubled childhood, her parents, and how bad it was at home sometimes. Angelyne had a controlling father, and the situation only grew worse with the death of her mother when she was just 14. The 'origin story,' as it were, explains how being in control became Angelyne's lifelong obsession.

Trailer

Catch the series exclusively on Peacock.