Love Story Review: Murphy’s JFK Jr. Drama Shines in Private Moments

Ryan Murphy’s Love Story, an FX anthology entry, follows John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's high-profile romance and the plane crash that ended their lives. The series recreates headline moments while widening the frame to scenes away from the cameras, rewinding from the couple's final day to their first encounters seven years earlier.

Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon slip comfortably into the leads. Kelly draws on archival mannerisms but adds his own take, portraying a confident public figure who still feels weighed down by expectations. Pidgeon had only images and videos to work with; her performance shows both the carefree woman Carolyn once was and the guarded person she became under scrutiny.

Their chemistry helps the audience invest in the relationship even as the marriage frays. Love Story balances factual detail with invented private moments, and it is in those quieter scenes—Episode 8’s dialogue-heavy sequences in particular—that the show gains its emotional force.

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