Based on Elizabeth Beller’s “Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy”, Ryan Murphy’s brand new limited series Love Story: JFK Jnr. & Carolyn Bessette masters the craft of storytelling and filmmaking, or at least for the first 3 episodes. Only a week after the season’s premiere, the Kennedy name is plastered all over social media. But what is making this show so immediately successful?

My thoughts? It is a skillful blend of romance, tension, and nostalgia that cements the reason why America (and essentially the rest of the world) were and continues to be so enamoured with the volatile relationship between JFK Jnr, son of President John F Kennedy and Carolyn Bessette, a Calvin Klein fashion publicist. Ultimately, the sudden buzz around Love Story lends itself to the fact that Murphy gives the audience something to latch on to, a concrete story amidst several decades of speculation and mystery, as well as the rebirth of the iconic monochromatic fashion style of Carolyn Bessette.

*Minor Spoilers ahead*

The opening montage directly inserts the audience into the final moments of the infamous couple, making us front-row witnesses to their strained, tumultuous relationship. We are introduced to JFK Jnr., who is played by newcomer Paul Kelly, and Carolyn Bessette, played by Hulu’s Tiny Beautiful Things star, Sarah Pidgeon. In the first couple of minutes, viewers are already exposed to the fundamental root cause of their marriage breakdown, symbolised by Carolyn’s dissociation in the nail salon where she changes from a bright red nail colour to a neutral one, as well as the barrage of paparazzi chasing her every moment from the salon to her car. Unlike our modern age, where many influencers and celebrities willingly choose to post their lives online through Instagram photo dumps and Call Her Daddy interviews, the 1990s were the era of relentless paparazzi and the intense capitalisation on invading every private moment of important figures.

The stylistic choice to begin the show in this way serves as a foreboding message to viewers that the glitz and glamour of Kennedy and Bessette’s relationship was simultaneously haunted by parasitic paparazzi and the micronarrative of a wife who refused to simply be her husband’s arm piece. We experience the first few episodes of Love Story, cautiously waiting for paparazzi at every corner and tabloids featuring Carolyn’s name, mirroring what Carolyn and figures like Princess Diana and Meghan Markle had to endure. The opening montage then concludes with John’s helicopter carrying Carolyn, her sister Lauren and himself into the sunset, which most people familiar with the Kennedy Family would recognise as the fateful July 16th 1999 flight that claimed all three of their lives. The first 5 minutes of the show leave us with a heartbreaking uneasiness and an unshakeable sense of curiosity, the clear cause for social media’s obsession with the show.

Articles from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Guardian have already commented on Ryan Murphy’s ‘fast and loose approach to historical accuracy’, noting features such as Sarah Pigeon’s wavy hair, the dramatised introduction between the couple by Calvin Klein and Naomi Watts’ “ghoulish” impression of Jackie Kennedy. However, one thing that Love Story has perfected is the ‘90s New York Scene. The hazy orange filter and gritty film grain, combined with a fantastic music score of hits from the decade like Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer and It Ain't Over Till It’s Over by Lenny Kravitz, and constant references to celebrities like Cindy Crawford and Kate Moss, builds a subtle historically accurate atmosphere that seemingly only romcoms from the early 2000s had managed to perfect. Personal and intimate details such as John’s love for riding a bike around town and Carolyn’s smoking habit only adds to their portrayal as real humans to the audience, a scene that has somehow never made it to our screens despite the enormous media interest in the couple from the last two decades. 

Whilst the casting choice of Daryl Hannah (Hollywood actress and John’s on-and-off girlfriend for 5 years before Carolyn) is highly contested due to her whiny, cringeworthy portrayal, Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Kelly’s chemistry and physical resemblance to their real-life counterparts do the heavy lifting in this show’s success. Pigeon nails the cold exterior the media made Carolyn out to have, whilst also giving the audience insight into why John was so attracted to her, with tantalising slow-burning conversations that leave John and viewers wanting more. Simultaneously, Kelly brilliantly showcases John’s charisma and confident exterior whilst depicting an inner monologue of self-doubt, insecurity and the determination to make his own way in the world. We continue to then see pockets of the couple’s enchanting beginning throughout the premiere: John pretending to need a custom suit so he can get measured by Carolyn, the white orchids sent to Carolyn’s Calvin Klein office and a perfect first date at Panna II, a real Indian restaurant in NYC’s lower east side that serves as a gorgeous backdrop of bright christmas lights to the simmering tension and romance between the pair. Will we ever really know if JFK Jnr was the type of man to pretend his bicycle was “stolen” to ensure he could romantically walk his date home? No, but I think Murphy giving the world even fictionalised moments of the Kennedy couple is exactly why everyone is so consumed by Love Story. Dialogue, private fights, and reconciliations are finally revealed in full, whereas paparazzi had only managed to capture fragments.

The ending scene of the first 3 episodes concludes the show’s premiere in the most beautiful way. A grief-stricken John and a hesitant Carolyn embrace in Carolyn’s dimly lit brownstone. Murphy’s intentional choice of having no background music makes this scene intensely intimate, vulnerable and real, allowing viewers to focus directly on the overflowing tension between the two characters without the excessive background noise and atmosphere of NYC we would usually expect from ‘first kiss’ scenes. It is the blending of two worlds, curating a more Cinderella-style story than what the real couple shared. 

Finally, the show’s online popularity can also be attributed to its reinvigoration of interest in 90s fashion icon, Carolyn Bessette. Only a week out from the show’s release, oval sunglasses, dark wash denim and black full-length coats have already made their way back to daily OOTD’s on Instagram and TikTok, a throwback that starkly contrasts 2025 and 2026’s obsession with adding bright colours and patterns to wardrobes. A fashion influence so great it can only be compared to iconic looks such as Princess Diana’s signature oversized sweatshirts, bike shorts and baggy blazers. The people yearn for fashion inspiration, and Ryan Murphy accurately depicts the 90s style revolution perpetuated by Carolyn. We definitely shouldn’t be surprised if 2026 brides bring back slip silk dresses and ultra-private ceremonies inspired by Kennedy and Bessette’s secret wedding in 1996. 

Overall, Love Story’s premiere depicts a compelling and thoughtful narrative that intentionally showcases the enchanting relationship between JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, whilst also highlighting the heartbreaking undertones of media invasion and the constant anxiety the couple faced. For the first time, we have front-row seats to one of modern history’s most elusive and mysterious relationships, and it is evident why the Kennedy obsession remains rampant. I am looking forward to the upcoming episodes, and you should be too! 

Nicky Tran is a second year student studying Commerce and Law. When she isn’t talking your ear off about her latest TV show hyperfixation, she is most likely curating a new Pinterest board, watching Youtube vlogs or eating a Fruitologist acai bowl.