“Love Story” and Why We Cling to the Kennedy Myth
From Critics at Large | The New Yorker by The New Yorker
March 12, 2026 · 51 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the FX series 'Love Story' and its portrayal of the Kennedy myth, exploring themes of media representation and the family's enduring legacy.
“Love Story,” an FX series produced by Ryan Murphy, drops audiences straight into the lives of one of the most talked-about couples of the nineties: J.F.K., Jr., and the style icon Carolyn Bessette. On this episode of Critics at Large, Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz discuss how the show re-creates the look and fashion of the era in granular detail while reducing the relationship itself to a generic fairy tale. Despite its many flaws, the show has been embraced with a zeal that reflects the enduring allure of the Kennedys—often said to be the closest thing America has to a royal family. The hosts consider why this political dynasty has so persisted in the popular imagination, discussing everything from the work of the paparazzo Ron Galella to Oliver Stone’s “JFK” and Pablo Larrain’s “Jackie,” two very different treatments of the aftermath of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. “Love Story” ’s focus on style underscores how much the family’s legacy lives in aesthetics, which risks obscuring some of the darker chapters of its history. “It does seem like we have ever more efficiently stripped the Kennedys and their image, and their style, from any notions of…
People in this episode
Hosts: Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, Alexandra Schwartz
Topics covered
- Kennedy family
- pop culture
- media representation
- fashion
- political legacy
- fairy tales
Keywords
- Kennedy
- Love Story
- J.F.K., Jr.
- Carolyn Bessette
- media
- fashion
- politics
- pop culture
- Oliver Stone
- Pablo Larrain
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Love Story, JFK, Jackie, Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy
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