This week, Ryan Murphy is adding another docudrama anthology series to his portfolio.
The man behind “American Crime Story,” “Feud” and “Monster” is now presenting “Love Story,” which will focus on famous couples. The first installment, premiering on Thursday on FX and Hulu, centers on the romance between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, who married in 1996 and died in 1999.
Kennedy, American royalty as a presidential scion, and Bessette, a fashion professional with chic personal style, captivated the public and the tabloids. But the allure of the couple now is also related partly to their tragic deaths.
“Love Story,” executive produced by Murphy and created by Connor Hines, chronicles their romance and their troubles. It also presumes viewers will be plenty familiar with the Kennedys and with the media, fashion and society of 1990s Manhattan. For those who might not be well-versed, here’s what you need to know.
What is ‘Love Story’ about?
“Love Story,” inspired by Elizabeth Beller’s book “Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy,” promises to show how Kennedy and Bessette fell in love, married and weathered intense scrutiny from the media. But it opens on the day of their deaths.
In a prologue, Carolyn (Sarah Pidgeon) meets her sister Lauren (Sydney Lemmon) and John (Paul Anthony Kelly) at a small airport. John, a pilot, is going to fly them to the wedding of his cousin Rory Elizabeth Kennedy at the family compound in Hyannis Port, Mass., on Cape Cod. A lingering shot of the aircraft flying away is potent for those who know that Kennedy’s Piper Saratoga crashed off the coast of Martha Vineyard.
The series then flashes back to 1992, the year the couple met, mostly skipping over their back stories. Kennedy was almost 3 when his father was assassinated, and his life was chronicled exhaustively throughout his childhood, when he was known as John-John. (A 1966 headline in The New York Times: “John F. Kennedy Jr. Burned by Hot Coals.”)
He was a media fixation as a young man as well. People named him “Sexiest Man Alive” in 1988, and the tabloids devoted lots of ink to his failing the bar exam twice when he was an assistant district attorney in Manhattan. He passed on his third try but eventually left law to co-found and edit George, a political magazine. (Its inaugural issue featured the supermodel Cindy Crawford on the cover, dressed as George Washington.)
Bessette was not famous. She grew up in Greenwich, Conn., with her mother, Ann (played by Constance Zimmer), and a stepfather. A former saleswoman at a Calvin Klein store, Bessette moved up in the company and eventually became the director of public relations and director of show production.
Why do they matter?
Kennedy and Bessette enchanted Americans before and after their deaths.
Kennedy grew up in the spotlight and was known for years as America’s most eligible bachelor. (Elaine lusts after him in the classic 1992 “Seinfeld” episode “The Contest.”) Bessette became an object of fascination partly because she was the woman to finally lock him down and partly because she looked so good while doing it. Her wardrobe mixed simple but elegant black and white garments by designers like Prada and Yohji Yamamoto, and her grace drew comparisons to Kennedy’s mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
The couple’s small wedding added to their aura, particularly Bessette’s sleek, unconventional bridal gown — it was designed by Narciso Rodriguez, a friend, and estimated to cost $40,000.
Who are the other key characters?
Bessette’s world mostly revolves around her work at Calvin Klein. Alessandro Nivola plays the designer, known for his refined basics and provocative underwear ads, while Leila George portrays his then-wife, Kelly.
In the series, which notes that it is inspired by actual events but invented some elements, it is Klein who introduces Carolyn to John at a fund-raiser. (Multiple writers, including Beller, have said that the couple met at the Calvin Klein headquarters.)
When Carolyn and John meet in the series, she is having occasional trysts with the model Michael Bergin (Noah Fearnley), best known for following Mark Wahlberg in Klein’s underwear ads. (Bergin later starred in “Baywatch.”) Carolyn’s pals are Klein underlings who will go on to become notable designers: Rodriguez (Tonatiuh) and Gordon Henderson (Omari K. Chancellor).
Kennedy’s coterie is filled with members of his family, including his mother (Naomi Watts); sister, Caroline (Grace Gummer); and her husband, Edwin Schlossberg (Ben Shenkman). His locker room confidant is Anthony Radziwill (Erich Bergen), son of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s sister, Lee Radziwill. He founds George with Michael Berman (Michael Nathanson), who worked in public relations.
Kennedy dated several famous women before marrying Bessette, including Madonna and Sarah Jessica Parker. The series focuses on his relationship with the actress Daryl Hannah, best known for “Splash” (1984) and “Roxanne” (1987). She is played by Dree Hemingway, daughter of Mariel and great-granddaughter of Ernest, doing a spot-on impression of Hannah’s breathy tone.
Why is the series controversial?
Early photos of the cast, posted by Murphy, led to complaints from style writers and others that the production had gotten it all wrong. The uproar spurred the production to make some changes, including bringing on a new costume designer. Hines told USA Today that the response allowed for the opportunity to “course correct or make any necessary adjustments.”
The show also received criticism from Caroline Kennedy’s son, Jack Schlossberg, currently running for Congress. He wrote on Instagram that “I think admiration for my Uncle John is great. What I don’t think is great is profiting off of it in a grotesque way.” After Murphy responded on a podcast that it was an “odd choice to be mad about your relative that you really don’t remember,” Schlossberg posted several memories of his uncle, including of Kennedy and Bessette’s wedding ceremony.
“I remember being the ring bearer at his wedding,” he wrote, “and the day he died.”
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