The Kennedy family has often been regarded as “American Royalty,” and beheld numerous public figures. Their highly public lives have often dominated pop culture, for better or for worse. While often being known for their striking physical appearance or political ideologies, the Kennedy family is also known for having a particularly tragic history. That includes the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and his brother, fellow politician Robert Kennedy, in the 1960s.
But in the 1990s, John F. Kennedy’s youngest son, John F. Kennedy Jr., was a prominent public figure in his own right, being a successful lawyer and journalist. FX’s new limited TV series, “Love Story,” reimagines the high-profile relationship and marriage between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. And while it has been incredibly popular online, ranking number one on Disney+’s top TV shows after its debut, it has equally been met with controversy as people question the ethicality of creating re-imagined media about real people’s lives.
“It’s not really just a normal love story even though it looks like that at first, it’s also about fame and expectations,” Berkeley High School junior Sofia Dodge said.
The nine-part TV series premiered on Feb. 12, 2026, with more episodes to be coming out through Thursday, Mar. 26, 2026. Throughout the over nine-hour run, the show details the tumultuous relationship of Kennedy Jr. and Bessette all the way from their first meeting to their eventual marriage.
Principally, simply from a physical perspective, the casting of the two lead roles is incredibly well done. The costumes and other modifications also do an excellent job of replicating the respective figures. However it’s not just the Kennedys that are recreated, but other key characters including actresses Annette Benning and Daryl Hannah, as well as designer Calvin Klein.
Set in 1990s New York City, the show feels romantic and youthful in a very familiar way. Although, while the physical resemblance is uncanny, the actors who portray Kennedy Jr. and Bessette, Paul Anthony Kelly and Sara Pidgeon, are both relatively stiff. Their interactions often feel staged and unconvincing rather than organic. While likely as a result of skill and script, the disconnect may be partly due to the challenge of dramatizing figures whose lives are so widely known; as viewers already have preconceived notions of how said people should be portrayed.
Similarly, it’s important to note that neither of the families of Kennedy Jr. nor Bessette were consulted before the series was made. Family members of the Kennedys, including Kennedy Jr.’s nephew, have accused creator Ryan Murphy of dramatizing and profiting off of the lives of real people. While creators can legally depict historical figures without consent, in the past there have been similar debates about what is considered too far in the remakes of real people’s lives. This could be seen in examples like “The Crown,” or “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” where families of the victims of the real criminal criticized the portrayal as being traumatizing.
This raises a broader question about the difference between documenting history and dramatizing moments that were perhaps not purposefully public. And being that there has always been a public fascination with the Kennedys, and the tragic demise of both main characters, the show ends up feeling uncomfortable rather than sincere.
This unease is further cemented given that a main plotline of the show is how both characters struggle deeply with public and media pressure. Bessette, who was previously an unknown woman working in fashion at Calvin Klein, was suddenly thrown into the spotlight when her and Kennedy Jr.’s relationship was revealed to the world. Based in fact, the show depicts society’s intense obsession with Bessette’s relationship, fashion choices, body, and decisions. It’s a constant theme in the show, with Bessette grappling for a more private life that she’ll now never have. While an important topic in its own right, the overall portrayal is uncomfortable. “Love Story” is openly critiquing paparazzi and public obsession, yet also hypocritically participates by dramatizing and propelling these two people’s private struggles without any sort of consent.
“It did make me pause and think about how relationships are portrayed and what’s considered acceptable,” BHS junior Rea Horgan said.
On the other hand, “Love Story” does succeed in creating an engaging TV show that focuses more on the entertaining “will they, won’t they” trope than anything else. Tied together with media pressure, family expectations, and personal differences, the writing does a sound job creating intriguing and memorable characters whose struggles and emotions are easy to empathize with.
All in all, “Love Story” is an entertaining TV show for those who are willing to put aside the historical context, and view it as an entire romantic recreation rather than perhaps an entirely accurate biographical perspective of these people’s lives.