When Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette landed on FX this February, it wasn’t just another period romance on TV — it was a dive into the magnetic, complicated, and ultimately tragic love between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, one of the most talked-about couples of the 1990s. Created by Connor Hines and executive produced by Ryan Murphy, this anthology’s first season promises to unpack not just a relationship, but the crushing public gaze that both elevated and exhausted it.
From the first promotional trailers to the three-episode premiere on February 12, Love Story has set its sights on exploring how this love — and the legend around it — became bigger than life. But in doing so, the series sometimes winds up guilty of glorifying the very fame and obsession it claims to critique.
Love Story and the Legend of JFK Jr.
FX’s Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette centers the romance between John F. Kennedy Jr. — the charismatic “American royal” and son of a beloved president — and Carolyn Bessette, the fiercely stylish Calvin Klein executive who captured the nation’s imagination.
The series charts their journey from their first encounters in the early 1990s through their whirlwind courtship, secret marriage, and the endless glare of the paparazzi that both adored and preyed on them. Based on Elizabeth Beller’s biography Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Love Story tracks the arc of a relationship that played out on America’s largest cultural stage.
Paul Anthony Kelly delivers a measured turn as JFK Jr., embodying both his magnetic charm and the weight he carried as the son of John and Jacqueline Kennedy. Sarah Pidgeon, as Carolyn Bessette, balances vulnerability and independence — portraying a woman drawn into a world that both celebrated and suffocated her. Reviews have noted the performances’ chemistry and grounded emotional beats even amid the stylized sheen of the show.
When the World Watches: How Love Story Explores JFK Jr. and Carolyn’s Relationship
One of the most compelling aspects of Love Story is how it dramatizes the collision between private love and public obsession. This isn’t just a romance; it’s a portrayal of how America watched — and helped define — every chapter of their bond.
From the series’ opening flashbacks showing paparazzi swarming a nail salon to intimate scenes of John and Carolyn forging their connection, the show highlights how relentless scrutiny shaped their lives. Where many love stories focus solely on the emotional connection between two people, Love Story underscores that for JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, life together was always in someone else’s lens.
Importantly, the narrative doesn’t shy away from their conflicts — moments of joy against the backdrop of arguments, exhaustion, and the impossible task of carving out privacy in an era before social media, but amid an even more voracious tabloid culture.
Episode Structure, Cast, and What Love Story Gets Right (and Wrong)
The first season of Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette consists of nine episodes, beginning with a three-episode premiere on FX and Hulu, followed by weekly releases.
In addition to the leads, Naomi Watts appears as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, adding depth to the Kennedy family dynamics. Grace Gummer plays Caroline Kennedy, while Alessandro Nivola embodies fashion titan Calvin Klein, a figure who stood between the couple and the relentless media glare.
Critics and audience members alike have remarked on the show’s elegant production design and strong performances — but responses are mixed on whether it transcends the surface glamour to offer meaningful insight into its subjects’ inner lives. Some find its retelling too glossy or familiar, echoing Wikipedia more than new interpretation. Others critique narrative choices or historical liberties, especially around timing and characterization.
Guilty of Romance: Love Story’s Own Obsession
It’s this very tension — between exploring the seductive pull of public attention and indulging in it — that makes Love Story feel guilty of what it’s examining.
The series seeks to show how fame distorted JFK Jr. and Carolyn’s love. Yet in dramatizing the iconicness of both figures, it often revels in the aesthetic of celebrity as much as it questions it. In scenes where paparazzi flashes are almost characters themselves, or when fashion and glamour moments stretch into stylized vignettes, the show seems caught between critique and homage.
In other words, while Love Story narrates a relationship overwhelmed by the world’s gaze, it doesn’t fully escape that same gaze itself — telling a story about media obsession with unabashed style and spectacle.
Why Love Story Matters (Even If You’re Skeptical)
Whether you come for the historical drama, the Kennedy mythology, or the tragic arc that underpins it all, there’s a lot to unpack in FX’s Love Story. It’s grounded in real events and people, and anchored by performances that make history feel personal.
For fans of romance and historical drama, the series provides a detailed look at one of America’s most compelling relationships — from its magnetic start to its heartbreaking end. And for skeptics who bristle at stylized depictions of real lives, Love Story still prompts reflection about the price of fame and the cost of loving publicly.
In the end, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette holds up a mirror to how we consume love and loss — and how, sometimes, the storytellers are as enthralled with the myth as the audience they serve
