It began with horror; then came crime and sports. Now Ryan Murphy is tackling love, American style. The producer’s latest anthology series, American Love Story, will open with a season focused on the beautiful and damned John F. Kennedy Jr.—the only son of President John F. Kennedy—and his wife, fashion publicist Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. JFK Jr. and Carolyn’s relationship dominated the media landscape of the 1990s, but came to a tragic end when both died in a private plane crash off the coast of Massachusetts in 1999—just three years after their wedding.
Their whirlwind romance and untimely demise kicks off a new chapter in Murphy’s oeuvre. But who will be playing the star-crossed lovers? And when can we expect to see their love story on screen? Here’s everything we know about American Love Story.
So, what is American Love Story?
In 2021, Murphy announced he was expanding on the American Story universe with two new franchises: American Sports Story and American Love Story. He tackled the sports story first, telling the chaotic and tragic tale of NFL star turned convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez in American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, which premiered on FX on September 17th, 2024.
Murphy described American Love Story as “a scripted anthology series of sweeping true love stories that captured the world’s attention.” In September of 2024, Murphy announced that the first season would chronicle the rise and fall of John John and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. The choice seemed like a natural fit for Murphy, causing widespread speculation as to who Murphy would choose to portray the young lovers.
Who’s cast in American Love Story?
Murphy has already found one half of his central couple: rising star Sarah Pidgeon has been tapped to play Calvin Klein publicist and New York fashion staple Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. The 27-year-old recently earned her first Tony nomination for her performance as Diana, the lead vocalist in a Fleetwood Mac-esque rock band, in the Tony-winning play Stereophonic. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s prestigious drama school, Pidgeon has also appeared on The Wilds and played a young Kathryn Hahn on the Hulu series Tiny Beautiful Things. American Love Story marks Pidgeon’s first project with Murphy.
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The role of John John, the effortlessly handsome attorney, magazine publisher, and journalist, is still up in the air.
When will American Love Story air?
Not for some time. Major roles have yet to be cast and the series hasn’t begun production yet, so it will most likely be a year or two before fictional John John and Carolyn grace your screen.
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