Get ready to be obsessed all over again. Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette breathes new life into the tragic tale of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, keeping things dishy but also romantic — and since it premiered February 12, audiences can’t stop talking about it. (In fact, it was just named the most-watched FX miniseries ever!)
Based on the 2024 book Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy (see below), this Ryan Murphy-produced nine-episode series stars dead ringers Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon as the magnetic couple. It follows their early courtship through their death in a 1999 plane crash that also claimed Bessette’s sister Lauren.
The book attempted to present a more well-rounded version of Bessette than the tabloids had when she was alive, and this adaptation, created by Connor Hines, does too. Much time is spent on the horrors of the paparazzi and the difficulty of losing one’s anonymity.
Equally fascinating is the exploration of Kennedy family life — with Naomi Watts as iconic matriarch Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Grace Gummer as Jr.’s practical sister, Caroline. While the real-life Kennedys probably won’t love the excavation of this chapter, for viewers, the re-imagining of the John-and-Carolyn years is thought-provoking and devastating, showing the highs and lows of a love story that plays out in public.
Kelly, 37, and Pidgeon’s, 29, chemistry crackles throughout — whether in a first meeting over beers or a massive argument about the future — and it’s easy to imagine Love Story capturing an entirely new generation of Kennedy obsessives. (It’s reminiscent of Murphy’s 2016 series The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story in that way.) The stellar show is a fantasy wrapped up in a distinctly American tragedy — and a reminder that our most mythic love stories can also be heartbreakingly human.
Want more? There have been a ton of books written about JFK Jr. Below are our favorites that dissect his early years as well as his relationship with Carolyn.
Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy by Elizabeth Beller
Love Story is inspired by this book about the misunderstood Bessette, with memories from many who knew her from childhood to her final days.
What Remains by Carole Radziwill
Onetime Real Housewife Carole Radziwill was married to Kennedy’s cousin Anthony, who also died in summer ’99. It’s a beautiful memoir about grief.
Fairy Tale Interrupted by RoseMarie Terenzio
A love letter to a bygone era. Author Terenzio was Kennedy’s longtime assistant, who offers insight into her boss’ life as founder of George magazine.
Come to the Edge by Christina Haag
Kennedy dated author Haag for years. She details their relationship with a hazy nostalgia while providing insight into his life as a young adult.
CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion by Sunita Kumar Nair
Just here for the fashion? This book is all about her looks: the designers she worked with and why her style endures.
