Ryan Murphy’s latest venture into prestige television arrives with Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, the first installment of his new anthology series on FX, now streaming on Hulu. Inspired by Elizabeth Beller’s book Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, the limited series attempts to reconstruct the electric courtship and turbulent marriage of one of the most photographed couples of the 1990s. The result is a show that dazzles on the surface but struggles to find emotional depth where it matters most.
A Set Designer’s Dream
The standout achievement of the series is its production design. Every frame is drenched in meticulous 90s nostalgia, from the minimalist loft interiors to the sharp, monochromatic palettes that defined late-century Manhattan cool. The set design channels the era with an almost obsessive precision, reconstructing a New York City that felt simultaneously glamorous and gritty, a city where Calvin Klein ruled and the paparazzi lurked on every corner of Tribeca.
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The wardrobe is equally compelling. Carolyn Bessette’s iconic style, the slip dresses, the clean lines, the effortless sophistication that made her a fashion reference point for an entire generation, is rendered with care and authenticity. Whether or not Calvin Klein officially sponsored the production remains unclear, but the brand’s DNA is woven so deeply into the visual language of the series that it functions as an extended love letter to the house’s 90s heyday. Every frame featuring Bessette’s wardrobe feels like a campaign image brought to life. Calvin Klein could not have asked for a better brand moment.
Where the Story Falters
Unfortunately, the series cannot sustain on aesthetics alone. The performances, while earnest, too often veer into soap opera territory. Paul Anthony Kelly as JFK Jr. and Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette carry the weight of portraying two of the most scrutinized public figures of the 20th century, and the pressure shows. There are moments of genuine chemistry between the leads, but they are undercut by dialogue that leans toward melodrama rather than the nuanced intimacy the subject demands.
The supporting cast, including Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy, Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and Alessandro Nivola as Calvin Klein, delivers mixed results. Watts brings gravitas to her limited screen time, but several performances feel constrained by a script that prioritizes spectacle over subtlety. Created by Connor Hines and directed in its pilot by Max Winkler, the series occasionally struggles to decide whether it wants to be a serious biographical drama or a glossy entertainment.
More Entertaining Than Expected
And yet, for all its shortcomings, the show is more entertaining than one might expect. There is something undeniably watchable about the reconstruction of this particular world, the intersection of American political royalty, high fashion, and media frenzy that defined the late 1990s. Murphy’s production machine knows how to keep an audience engaged, and the pacing across the first episodes is brisk enough to sustain interest.
Whether the series can maintain that momentum through its remaining episodes remains to be seen. The real test will be how it handles the darker chapters of John and Carolyn’s story, the media siege, the marital strain, and the tragedy that ultimately defined their legacy. If it can move beyond its surface-level appeal and find genuine emotional resonance, Love Story could become something more than a beautifully dressed period piece.
For now, it is a visually stunning but dramatically uneven debut, a show worth watching for its impeccable recreation of 90s New York, even if the performances do not always rise to meet the ambition of its design.
FX’s Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette is now streaming on Hulu. Created by Connor Hines, executive produced by Ryan Murphy, and produced by 20th Television.
