‘Unapologetically schmaltzy’: How Love Story became Disney+’s most-streamed drama ever

Ryan Murphy’s series about the doomed marriage between Carolyn Bessette and JFK Jr is ‘prestige television without the usual weight’

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he plane vanishes. Families are told. Ashes are scattered. So ends Love Story, Ryan Murphy’s schlocky, glossy nine-part melodrama about the doomed marriage between Carolyn Bessette and John F Kennedy Jr. Yet one thing is clear: the myth of Camelot – or at least this version – still captivates.

This week, Disney+ confirmed Love Story is now the most streamed drama in the platform’s history. A rare sleeper hit, later episodes drew 50% more global viewers than February’s pilot, boosted by “social reach” and word of mouth. According to FX, which created the show, social media searches for JFK Jr and Bessette grew by more than 9100% in the past month.

Its success has inevitably prompted speculation about Murphy’s next subject, which is reportedly in the works. The showrunner behind some of the decade’s most successful if controversial TV, such as American Horror Story and legal drama All’s Fair, tends towards a familiar pattern: camp nostalgia, paparazzi exposure and cultural symbolism, according to TV critic Scott Bryan: “Forget historical accuracy. No one can turn controversy into a way to publicise their show like Ryan Murphy.”