FX’s “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette” was released Feb. 12, 2026. This fictionalized biography and anthology series depicts the love affair of late American icons John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.
Kennedy and Bessette tragically died on a plane ride to Martha’s Vineyard in 1999. “Love Story” begins its pilot episode on the day of the fatal crash, leading you through their busy, publicized lives just up to takeoff, before traveling back in time to the day that the two meet for the first time. This opening leaves watchers with a feeling of imminence and an awareness of the characters’ fated doom.
Although most are familiar with what this story entails: love, fame, and ultimately death, this production fulfills many’s wish to be a fly on the wall through its realism and simplistic filming style. Throughout “Love Story”, directors and cinematographers create scenes that subtly immerse the audience into the setting. The camera’s sun glares allow the viewer to feel like they are witnessing that exact moment through vintage RayBans. Sunlight streaming through the window makes it seem like you are resting luxuriously with Jackie Kennedy in her 5th Avenue-penthouse. Intentional focusing throughout this series helps scenes to feel natural. For example, as we watch the plane take off down the runway, the camera pans directly to the ascending aircraft. When audience members witness this moment, it seems as though you are flipping through old videos on your beloved, memory-laden digital camera. Watching this scene with its blurry, nostalgic quality and a knowledge of its outcome gives watchers a sense of retrospection that you often only feel within your own life.
A further distinctive feature of this show is its color palette in comparison to its fellow contemporary shows. In this era of extreme minimalism and photographic perfection, the range in color is a breath of fresh air for many TV regulars who have been conditioned to accept the beiges and greys of modern television. Not only does this show transport us back to a time where technology wasn’t as intertwined with everyday life, it also exposes us to a period where visual media creators emphasized color in their art. The encapsulation of the 90s “vibe” has left young generations reminiscing for a decade that they weren’t even alive for.
In addition to “Love Story’s” unique filming style, the show has an impeccable soundtrack that is vintage, yet relevant. With songs like “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star, “Solitude” by Ella Fitzgerald, “Lover, You Should Come Over” by Jeff Buckley, and “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over” by Lenny Kravitz, this show encompasses an assortment of phenomenal music that leaves viewers down on their knees begging for the music supervisor’s personal mixtape.
The portrayal of both Carolyn Bessette and of John F. Kennedy Jr. in “Love Story” gives the audience a glimpse into how these two influential individuals may have conducted themselves privately, and into the inner workings of their “swag-gap-free” relationship. Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Anthony Kelley depict these two characters and historical figures as realistic, witty, unpolished, deeply intricate, and simply: iconic.