'Love Story' Is One of the Best Romance Biopics Ever Made – And No, It's Not Ryan Murphy Show

The story of Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr.'s tragic death has long been more than just a love story – it's a national myth and a modern fairy tale.

Making a series about them without descending into vulgarity, speculation, or bad taste would seem to be an almost impossible task. However, the creators of Love Story have succeeded.

Although Ryan Murphy's name is on the posters, he's only one of the numerous producers. Showrunner Connor Hines presents a sensitive, visually impeccable, and deeply humane portrayal of two people whose lives belonged to everyone but themselves.

What Is 'Love Story' About?

The series begins where it all ends: on July 16, 1999, at an airport in New Jersey. After an argument, John and Carolyn confess their love to each other before boarding the fateful flight.

Then, the story rewinds seven years to 1992. Carolyn Bessette is a rising star in the Calvin Klein sales department and has just been promoted to public relations. She attends a charity ball where she meets John Kennedy Jr.

He is America's most eligible bachelor, weighed down by his family name and having failed another bar exam. She is an independent trendsetter, unwilling to sacrifice her freedom for a romance under the paparazzi's microscope.

'Love Story' Is a Fictionalized but Respectful Show About Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr.

Inspired by Elizabeth Beller's book, Connor Hines offers a clear disclaimer in the credits: everything you see is fantasy based on fact. This disclaimer gives Hines freedom, which he uses with astonishing tact.

Instead of fetishized images, we see two real, imperfect, vulnerable people. Sarah Pidgeon plays Carolyn as a woman who longs for love yet clings desperately to her independence, knowing that publicity would destroy her.

Paul Anthony Kelly plays John, who is accustomed to the spotlight but is broken by the impossibility of living up to expectations and by his fear of dishonoring the family name.

'Love Story' Is a Brilliant and Detailed Re-Creation of the Zeitgeist

Every detail brings the 1990s to life, from the soundtrack featuring Cocteau Twins, Björk, and Portishead to the film-inspired color scheme.

Costume designer Rudy Mance's work deserves special admiration for his meticulous recreation of Carolyn Bessette's iconic outfits. Bessette was an icon of 1990s minimalism whose style is still imitated today.

However, Love Story is more than just a museum piece – it's a living, breathing work where the camera tenderly loves the characters, not voyeuristically. There's a lot of physicality, close-ups, and tactility – everything that creates a sense of authenticity and intimacy.

It's Just Hard to Find Any Flaws in 'Love Story'

Even Naomi Watts's three-episode appearance as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who exits the plot with her death in 1994, works not as a cameo for the sake of her name, but as a key to understanding John's psychology.

Watts portrays Jackie as both powerful and fragile, shattered by the weight of her own mythologization. Her reflections on sacrificing her career for the role of the president's wife echo Carolyn's fate, closing the circle of female tragedy.

Love Story strikes a balance between melodrama and psychological drama, between nostalgia and acute pain, without ever veering into vulgarity or speculation.

Hines and his team have done a monumental job – they restored Carolyn and John's humanity without destroying the myth, rather, they explained its nature.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Love Story'?

• Love Story has 81% from critics and 73% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the series has a score of 7.6/10.

Where to Watch 'Love Story'?

Love Story is available to stream on Hulu.