The first glimpse into one of the most scrutinized love stories of the 20th century has arrived. On Monday, FX unveiled the official trailer for its highly anticipated limited series, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, executive produced by Ryan Murphy. The footage introduces audiences to the show’s central pair—newcomer Paul Anthony Kelly as the dashing, relentlessly pursued John F. Kennedy Jr. and Tony-nominee Sarah Pidgeon as the elegant, fiercely private Carolyn Bessette.
The trailer sets the stage for a romance that was both a fairy tale and a pressure cooker. It promises to chart their electric connection, from Carolyn’s professional world at Calvin Klein in the 1990s to the whirlwind of paparazzi flashbulbs that defined their public life. A central conflict is immediately clear, captured in a poignant line from Carolyn to John: “There’s your world. And then there’s mine. It’s not a question of if I want to spend the rest of my life with you. It’s a question of if I’m cut out to be Mrs. JFK Jr.”
This tension between profound love and overwhelming fame forms the core of the series. The official synopsis describes it as “a love story that captured the attention of the nation,” highlighting John as “American royalty” and Carolyn as a “fiercely independent” style icon who rose from sales assistant to a key executive at Calvin Klein. “As their love story unfolded on a national stage,” the logline notes, “the intense fame and media attention that came along with it threatened to rip them apart.”
The project, inspired by Elizabeth Beller’s biography Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, arrives amidst both high anticipation and pre-release scrutiny. When first-look images were revealed last summer, the series faced online backlash focused on Carolyn’s wardrobe, with some critics calling it “fast fashion” compared to her iconic minimalist elegance. Further critique came from Carolyn’s real-life former hair colorist, Brad Johns, who told Vogue in June that the on-screen hair color was “totally wrong.” The new trailer offers a fuller, moving-picture response to these concerns, aiming to capture the couple’s essence beyond single still frames.
The series boasts a formidable supporting cast, featuring Naomi Watts as the formidable Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Grace Gummer as Caroline Kennedy, Alessandro Nivola as fashion titan Calvin Klein, Leila George as Kelly Klein, Sydney Lemmon as Carolyn’s sister, Lauren Bessette, and Constance Zimmer as publicist Ann Marie Messina.
Love Story was created by Connor Hines and is executive produced by the prolific Ryan Murphy alongside Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, and a team including Hines, Max Winkler (who directed the pilot), and others.
Mark your calendars: the series premieres with its first three episodes on Wednesday, February 12, at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET on FX. All episodes will be available for streaming on Hulu the next day, starting at 9 p.m. ET, and on Disney+ internationally. Following the premiere, the remaining episodes of the nine-part limited series will be released weekly, inviting audiences to revisit the timeless, tragic, and endlessly fascinating union of John and Carolyn.
