Love Story
Genre
Created by Connor Hines
Inspired by Once Upon a Time
by Elizabeth Beller
Starring
Music by Bryce Dessner
Country of origin United States
Original language English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 5
Production
Executive producers
Cinematography
  • Jason McCormick
  • Pepe Avila del Pino
  • Andrei Schwartz
Editors
  • Adam Penn
  • Hye Mee Na
  • Franzis Müller
Running time 43–58 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
Release February 12, 2026 (2026-02-12) –
present
Related

Love Story is an American biographical romance anthology television series created by Connor Hines and executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, D.V. DeVincentis, Kim Rosenstock, and Hines. The fifth installment in the American Story media franchise, it airs on FX and FX on Hulu.

The first season, John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, charts the whirlwind courtship and marriage of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and premiered on February 12, 2026.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by [4] Original release date [5] Prod.
code
1 "Pilot" Max Winkler Connor Hines February 12, 2026 (2026-02-12) 1TYR01
2 "The Pools Party" Jesse Peretz Connor Hines February 12, 2026 (2026-02-12) 1TYR02
3 "America's Widow" Jesse Peretz Connor Hines February 12, 2026 (2026-02-12) 1TYR03
4 "I Love You" Gillian Robespierre D. V. DeVincentis February 19, 2026 (2026-02-19) 1TYR04
5 "Battery Park" Crystle Roberson Dorsey Kim Rosenstock February 26, 2026 (2026-02-26) 1TYR05
6 "The Wedding"[6] Gillian Robespierre Juli Weiner March 5, 2026 (2026-03-05) TBA
7 "Obsession"[7] Crystle Roberson Dorsey Connor Hines March 12, 2026 (2026-03-12) TBA
8 "Exit Strategy"[8] Jesse Peretz Connor Hines and Juli Weiner March 19, 2026 (2026-03-19) TBA
9 "Search and Recovery"[9] Anthony Hemingway Connor Hines March 26, 2026 (2026-03-26) TBA

Production

Development

On August 13, 2021, it was announced that FX had ordered a new spin-off series American Love Story. The first season would cover the "whirlwind courtship and marriage of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy,"[10] ending with their deaths in a private plane crash in 1999.[11]

In June 2025, Jack Schlossberg, nephew of John F. Kennedy Jr., criticized the series for not consulting the Kennedy family during development and accused the production of "profiting off" his uncle's life "in a grotesque way."[12][13] He urged the show's creators to donate part of its proceeds to the John F. Kennedy Library. Murphy later stated he intended to make a donation.[14] In July 2025, Murphy remarked that it was an "odd choice to be mad about your relative that you don't remember," prompting Schlossberg to share personal memories of his uncle on Instagram and reiterate his criticism that the project was exploiting his family's history for profit.[15]

Casting

In March 2025, it was reported that Sarah Pidgeon will be Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.[16] In May 2025, it was reported that Naomi Watts would play Jackie Kennedy, while newcomer Paul Kelly would lead the series as John F. Kennedy Jr.[17] In June 2025, Grace Gummer, Sydney Lemmon, and Alessandro Nivola joined the cast. In a series regular role, Gummer would portray Caroline Kennedy. In recurring roles, Lemmon would portray Lauren Bessette and Nivola would play Calvin Klein.[18] On June 13, 2025, Ryan Murphy shared a first look at Paul Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon as John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette on his Instagram. The same day, it was announced by Murphy that Leila George and Noah Fearnley had joined the cast as Kelly Klein and Michael Bergin.[19] In July 2025, Omari K. Chancellor joined the cast of the series, now titled Love Story, in a recurring role as Gordon Henderson.[20] In November 2025, Constance Zimmer joined the cast in a recurring role as Carolyn’s mother Ann Messina Freeman.[21]

Filming

Principal photography on the series began in June 2025.[22] With Kennedy having lived at 20 North Moore Street in Tribeca,[23] many exterior shots were filmed around there, including in the historic 53–55 Beach Street,[24] and throughout Tribeca and Soho.

Release

Love Story premiered on FX and FX on Hulu on February 12, 2026.[25] Internationally, the series was made available to stream on Disney+.[26]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette has an approval rating of 80% based on 40 critics' reviews. The website's consensus reads: "Ryan Murphy's Love Story finds a winning pair in Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon as they embody the tragic, lovely, and shining aspects of John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette in a mindful yet entertaining new series."[27] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 63 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable".[28]

Sarah Pidgeon received praise for her performance as Bessette-Kennedy, with Nicholas Quah of Vulture writing, "Carolyn is the closest thing the show has to a genuinely inhabited character: quick and curious, existentially adrift but committed to selfhood, carrying an undercurrent of anxiety about the world she's entered that the script only intermittently knows what to do with."[29][30][31] Critics compared the series to The Crown, with Judy Berman of Time writing both shows depict the "ultimate gilded cage—what perpetual scrutiny does to a family compelled to prioritize appearances over relationships, tradition over love".[30][29]

However, writers commented that Love Story finds nothing new or insightful to say about its central couple or the Kennedys as an institution.[31] Berman wrote: "For all its flaws, The Crown balanced its royal characters' travails with bigger questions...Love Story shows no interest in understanding what the Kennedys meant, and still mean, to a nation that prided itself on having no kings but elevated this particular dynasty as a surrogate royal family. That's a shame, especially as heirs whose affiliations range from the far right to the young left continue to drive American politics. If the people we put on pedestals are mirrors for society, then what did the Kennedys say about us in the 1960s? The '90s? Today?"[30]

In The New Yorker, Doreen St. Félix wrote the show's "Wikipedia-page-like narrowness on the doomed romance excises all that contemporary drama—President Bill Clinton invoking J.F.K. as a forefather, Ted Kennedy, the brother of J.F.K. and R.F.K., recovering from the scandal of Chappaquiddick and the humiliation of a failed Presidential run to become the 'lion' of the Senate—that makes the Kennedy story, one of a relationship to a greater culture".[31] Quah added "Love Story...is so tightly focused on the relationship [between Carolyn and John Jr.] that nine episodes of emotional trivialities begin to feel indulgent...In flattening the rhythms of Kennedy and Bessette's life together into a cycle of domestic discord, Love Story takes a relationship long freighted with myth, glamour, and cultural obsession and renders it strangely ordinary".[29]

References

  1. ^ Ottenberg, Mel (December 17, 2025). "Paul Anthony Kelly Tells Mel Ottenberg How He Became John-John". Interniew Magazine. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  2. ^ a b Petski, Denise (January 26, 2026). "FX's 'Love Story' Casts Erich Bergen & Michael Nathanson". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  3. ^ D'Addario, Daniel (February 3, 2026). "Sex, Lies and Politics: How FX's 'Love Story' Brings Back the Doomed Romance of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette". Variety. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  4. ^ "Love Story: John And Carolyn". Writers Guild of America. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
  5. ^ "Shows A–Z – Love Story on FX". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
  6. ^ "Episode Title: (#106) "The Wedding"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  7. ^ "Episode Title: (#107) "Obsession"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  8. ^ "Episode Title: (#108) "Exit Strategy"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  9. ^ "Episode Title: (#109) "Search and Recovery"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  10. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (August 13, 2021). "Ryan Murphy Sets 'American Sports Story,' 'American Love Story' Anthologies at FX". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  11. ^ Petski, Denise (August 13, 2021). "'FX Orders 'American Sports Story' & 'American Love Story' Spinoffs From Ryan Murphy". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  12. ^ Parkel, Inga (June 20, 2025). "JFK Jr's nephew Jack Schlossberg blasts Ryan Murphy's American Love Story for 'profiting off' family's tragedy". The Independent. United Kingdom: Independent Digital News & Media Ltd. ISSN 1741-9743. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  13. ^ Kessel Odom, Dani (June 20, 2025). ""Profiting Off [JFK Jr's Admiration] In A Grotesque Way": John F. Kennedy's Grandson Criticizes Ryan Murphy's American Love Story Series & Clarifies Family Involvement". Screen Rant. Retrieved October 12, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  14. ^ Malkin, Marc (June 19, 2025). "Ryan Murphy Blasts 'Inflammatory' Backlash Over Camera Test Images of 'American Love Story' Star Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette: 'It's Not Fair'". Variety. ISSN 0042-2738. OCLC 60626328. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  15. ^ Tinoco, Armando (June 23, 2025). "Jack Schlossberg Calls Out Ryan Murphy For "Making Millions" Off Of JFK Jr. With 'Love Story' Series: "Say It To My Face"". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 12, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  16. ^ Otterson, Joe (March 21, 2025). "Ryan Murphy's 'American Love Story' Casts Sarah Pidgeon as JFK Jr.'s Wife Carolyn Bessette". Variety. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  17. ^ Hailu, Selome (May 13, 2025). "'American Love Story' Casts Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy and Newcomer Paul Kelly as JFK Jr". Variety. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  18. ^ Cordero, Rosy (June 6, 2025). "Ryan Murphy's 'American Love Story' Casts Grace Gummer, Sydney Lemmon & Alessandro Nivola". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  19. ^ Nemetz, Dave (June 13, 2025). "'American Love Story' Sets February 2026 Premiere; Ryan Murphy Shares First Look Photos Of Paul Kelly & Sarah Pidgeon As JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette". TV Line. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  20. ^ Cordero, Rosy (July 14, 2025). "Ryan Murphy's 'Love Story' Casts Omari K. Chancellor As Fashion Designer Gordon Henderson". Deadline. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  21. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 14, 2025). "Constance Zimmer Joins FX's 'Love Story' In Key Recurring Role". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  22. ^ "'American Love Story' Starts Filming in New York City". Town & Country. June 18, 2025. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  23. ^ https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/love-story-an-exclusive-look-at-recreating-jfk-jr-and-carolyn-bessette-kennedys-new-york
  24. ^ https://evrimagaci.org/gpt/vintage-fashion-surges-with-love-story-premiere-529697?srsltid=AfmBOoqrz0ucmjGi0-7zAPsy7VFS2J4fDI3CAEI-C7OHmPHfZiUpHv7x
  25. ^ Maglio, Tony (January 26, 2026). "FX's JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Love Story Premiere Timed to Valentine's Day". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
  26. ^ published, Daniel Pateman (February 11, 2026). "How To Watch Love Story Online And Stream Every Episode Of Ryan Murphy's New Anthology Series From Anywhere". CinemaBlend. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  27. ^ "Love Story: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  28. ^ "Love Story: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  29. ^ a b c Quah, Nicholas (February 12, 2026). "This Love Story Isn't Special". Vulture. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  30. ^ a b c Berman, Judy (February 12, 2026). "Love Story: JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette Is Trying Too Hard to Be The Crown for America". Time. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  31. ^ a b c St. Félix, Doreen (February 14, 2026). ""Love Story" Is a Forgettable Elegy for Gen X". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved February 17, 2026.