“American Love Story”: the series about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette
Glamour, drama, political legacy: the “American Love Story” series takes on an American myth. And gives Carolyn Bessette the voice she never had.
A franchise that explores American passions
After captivating viewers with American Crime Story (OJ Simpson, Gianni Versace, Monica Lewinsky) and the Pose series, Ryan Murphy, along with Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, is developing a new spin-off under the FX banner: American Love Story. This new series will explore the magnetic and tragic relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.
This ambitious project has been awaited since it was announced in 2021, and now finally looks set to become a reality. “We have some very good scripts,” confides Brad Simpson in Variety. All that remains is to set the broadcast date.
Why is this romance still so fascinating?
Born in the spotlight, the union of Camelot heir JFK Jr. and ex-Calvin Klein press agent Carolyn Bessette was scrutinized, fantasized about, then brutally interrupted by a plane crash in 1999. Yet behind the frozen images of perfection lies a more nuanced story: that of two young people trapped by their legend.
The series promises to go beyond the media veneer, to offer an intimate reading of their bond, their fragilities, and the tensions between public identity and private sphere.
“Many young women today recognize themselves in Carolyn,” says Simpson. A figure both admired and silent, here she becomes a modern icon, unintentionally feminist.
An era revisited, between nostalgia and tension
More than a love story, it’s a chronicle of a pivotal era, between the end of the 20th century and the beginning of contemporary obsessions. Beauty, power, media, social pressure: all the ingredients are there for a series as aesthetic as it is political.
FX has yet to specify the cast or shooting date, but the project appears to be a priority. In parallel, other series are in development, such as American Sports Story, devoted to Aaron Hernandez, and a potential Studio 54: American Crime Story.
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