Controversial JFK Jr drama is a hit - here's why

Old-school romance to inspired needle drops: Eight reasons why Love Story became 2026's first TV phenomenon1 day agoLaura MartinDisneyNo show has sparked more conversation this year than Ryan Murphy's miniseries about '90s golden couple John F Kennedy Jr and Carolyn Bessette and their doomed relationship. Here's why.Of all the TV shows most eagerly anticipated for 2026, a soapy, fictionalised retelling of a high-profile, thirty-year-old relationship seemed, at first glance, unlikely to make massive waves.But that was severely underestimating the power of Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr and Carolyn Bessette, the latest series from super-producer Ryan Murphy, and its account of the '90s golden couple's romance, marriage and troubles with fame, until their tragic deaths in a plane crash in 1999. Since its February launch, just ahead of Valentine's Day, it has returned the pair to the headlines once again and become the year's first appointment TV. The nine-episode season concludes tomorrow, and as well as breaking streaming records, it feels like a genuine cultural phenomenon across different demographics. "It's rare for my friends, my mum and my husband to all want to watch the same show, but they're all watching Love Story," says Jillian Bonanne, host of TV podcast Previously On. So why has the series captured the imaginations of viewers so intensely?DisneyModel Paul Anthony Kelly had very little acting experience before playing JFK Jr (Credit: Disney)1. The '90s nostalgia – or anemoiaThree decades on, and the 1990s – whether you lived through it or not – has begun to look to many, with hindsight, like an ideal age. Certainly, in Western terms, it felt like a less turbulent time – it was long before 9/11, the economic crash of 2008, and today's extreme political division.On top of that, Love Story has uncovered a lot of nostalgia for love in the '90s, and how romances developed back then: there were no swipes left or right, or anxious WhatsApp messages. "When the show starts," says Bonanne, "we're watching two people connect through real life flirtatious run-ins and we are longing for those experiences in an extremely online world."We are very much on schedule for the look back at the '90s – Glynnis MacNicolMore generally, its success proves the allure of a pre-digital age, says journalist and author Glynnis MacNicol. "I think that we're all craving life offline to an extreme degree. We are exhausted by our phones, by social media, by the relentlessness of the news cycle. And this era, and this show, is allowing us to time travel to a moment where phones didn't exist; a time and place where the analogue life was seemingly filled with delight and serendipity and fun and real faces." Though, as MacNicol notes, younger viewers won't be feeling a sense of nostalgia, but anemoia – a wistful longing for a time, place, or era that one has never actually experienced or lived through. "We are very much on schedule for the look back at [the '90s]. It seems to happen when people who are old enough to remember are still around – I'm in my 50s and I certainly remember this like it was yesterday – [but when] there's enough young people who have no memory of it and it seems exotic." 2. The iconic cityIt just so happened that some of the biggest TV shows of the late '90s – Friends, Sex And The City, The Sopranos – were all centred around life in New York; and they helped shape its reputation as one of the coolest cities in the world. Love Story cements that idea once again. In early episodes, we see a mid-twenty-something Bessette hop from fancy fashion launch party to restaurant to nightclub, before hauling herself out of bed and heading to Calvin Klein's office, where she worked, picking up a coffee and a copy of Vogue magazine from the ubiquitous newsstands on the way. It's young urban professional life at its most aspirational. Having the city as the backdrop for the series has also made it into a living set for fans. Curbed's Clio Chang noted there has been a "pilgrimage" of people visiting New York haunts featured in the show that the pair had visited or lived in. Panna II restaurant – the intimate, fairy-light-lit Indian spot where the couple were regulars, and the show depicts them having their first date – has seen its reservations "nearly double" each night after being featured in the series, according to Eater. Getty ImagesCarolyn and JFK Jr's distinct style has inspired many fans to imitate them (Credit: Getty Images)3. The actorsThe lead duo are masterfully cast – and their chemistry is undeniable. Remarkably, Paul Anthony Kelly, a Canadian model, had barely almost no acting credits before landing the role of JFK Jr. Sarah Pidgeon, who plays Bessette, was a little more established – with roles in shows like The Wilds and Tiny Beautiful Things, and a Tony-nominated performance in Broadway hit Stereophonic to her name – but this feels like her star-making moment. "Her performance in episode eight makes her a probable Emmy contender for this year, so I wouldn't be surprised if we talked about her for months on end," says entertainment journalist Isabella Soares. 4. The fashionEven before Love Story, Bessette was a long-established style icon who had "been appealing to the fashion Instagram and TikTok set for a while," says MacNicol. And that has only been amplified by the series, as has the love for the whole monochrome, minimalist '90s aesthetic defined by Bessette's boss Calvin Klein, who is played by Alessandro Nivola in the show. According to luxury resale platform The RealReal, searches for Calvin Klein rose by 139% in the 12 days following the first episode's release. Meanwhile Elle magazine noted a trend for women tracking down Bessette's famous tortoiseshell headband from pharmacy brand CO Bigelow. It's the same for JFK Jr wannabes, who are apparently flooding New York wearing Kangol hats backwards and zipping to work in their suits on bikes. Critics, however, have been keen to point out that imitation isn't always the sincerest form of flattery. Journalist Gaby Del Valle commented on X about the rise of women dressing like Bessette-Kennedy: "CBK cosplay epidemic in Williamsburg right now. Everyone get your own personality NOW". And the New York Times style critic Jacob Gallagher informed male New Yorkers: "Alas, you will never look like JFK Jr in your chinos", adding that it "showed the Kennedy archetype still can't be purchased."Getty ImagesFiona Apple is one of the many '90s artists whose music is used perfectly (Credit: Getty Images)5. The soundtrackThe series' soundtrack has been nothing less than a total bop for viewers. GQ rightly dubbed it "the best '90s mixtape on TV".Stretching from '90s clubland tracks from the likes of CeCe Peniston and En Vogue to slightly more esoteric and ethereal tracks from Cocteau Twins and Björk, it has immersed viewers in the energy and creativity of the time. And while it's unlikely that the couple really danced around in their underwear to Pulp's Common People – as in one scene – viewers noted how perfectly the songs have amplified the story's emotions. "The Fiona Apple needle drop in this week's Love Story absolutely winded me," said one person on X, of the song Sullen Girl, played in a scene at the end of episode seven where Bassette is struggling with her sudden notoriety, locked in the gilded cage of the couple's loft apartment. 6. The controversy Ryan Murphy is no stranger to creating a furore with his shows – and proving the old adage that all publicity is good publicity. And Love Story has been dogged by controversy – and creating headlines – from its inception. In early June 2025, when Murphy posted the first-look images of Kelly and Pidgeon as the iconic couple on a now-deleted Instagram post, the fashion press was aghast with how cheap they looked. Later that same month, Jack Schlossberg, nephew of JFK Jr, accused the production of "profiting off" his uncle's life "in a grotesque way". Then once the series started airing, a storm brewed around the depiction of JFK Jr's ex-girlfriend, actor Daryl Hannah, who was portrayed variously as needy, insensitive, and partial to cocaine. I love this show," says Bonanne, “but I cannot defend the edit they gave her character". Hannah wrote a guest essay for The New York Times – entitled "How can Love Story get away with this?" – and said: "The series is not even a remotely accurate representation of my life, my conduct or my relationship with John". She also revealed: "In the weeks since the series aired, I have received many hostile and even threatening messages from viewers who seem to believe the portrayal is factual." "Did Daryl Hannah's op-ed bring more people to the show?" says MacNicol. "I don't know. Controversy always puts eyes on something, but good for her for speaking up."DisneyActor Dree Hemingway as Daryl Hannah, who has expressed her anger at her portrayal in the show (Credit: Disney)7. The discourseMeanwhile, the TV show has driven scores of hot takes in the media – debating topics like whether Bessette has been unfairly depicted or her supposedly "cool girl" persona – and become a point of obsession for social media as well. Fans have been diving into the couple's lore and trawling through old footage and photos of them, to fill in the gaps, and understand the true story behind the fictionalised version on screen. In real life, Bessette rarely gave interviews, so a supercut of every known clip of her talking has been a hit on TikTok. Other accounts have given further insights into the era, from interviewing a former colleague of Bessette's at Calvin Klein to analysing the letter Kennedy Jr sent his staff at George Magazine after getting married, and digging out his appearance on sitcom Murphy Brown, as discussed in the series. 8. The Kennedy effectNo real-life subjects exert such a fascination in the collective American imagination as the Kennedy clan – and so it's probably no surprise that these two particularly glamorous, and doomed, members of the dynasty should have had as much audience appeal as they have done. "If the Kennedys are the closest thing America has to a royal family," wrote Judy Berman in Time, "then Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was our Princess Diana" – and indeed the shock death of Diana features prominently, and with dark foreboding, in episode eight. Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr and Carolyn Bessette is streaming now on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK--If you liked this story, sign up for the Essential List newsletter – a handpicked selection of features, videos and can't-miss news, delivered to your inbox twice a week.For more Culture stories from the GREE, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.TelevisionRomanceFeatures