Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's biographer shares her thoughts on 'Love Story'

“Love Story,” the new limited series about Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr.’s relationship, has sparked debate and conversation about casting since its February premiere. (Actually, make that months before its premiere, when fans criticized photos of the actors on set, questioning whether they measured up to the real people.)

Elizabeth Beller, author of the 2024 biography “Once Upon A Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy,” weighed in on the series and its portrayal of Bessette and Kennedy.

“I know from what I’ve seen so far that they’ve handled the show with a lot of sensitivity,” Beller tells TODAY.com. “I think they took the fact that it was dramatizing real people with their responsibility. And they took it very seriously.”

JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. (Justin Ide/Boston Herald / Getty Images)

The series revisits one of America’s most mythologized couples, from their courtship through to the tragic 1999 plane crash where they, along with Bessette's sister Lauren Bessette, died.

“From what I’ve seen, it feels like they were respectful, and that was great to see,” she said. “I think they did a really great job with thoughtful, respectful storytelling.”

At the same time, Beller has a reminder for viewers: “Love Story” is not a documentary. Dramatizations inevitably condense timelines, heighten emotion and interpret private moments.

“I think a thing to keep in mind is that it’s not a documentary, but a dramatization, which they do say at one point,” she says.

Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. in "Love Story."

“We obviously had Elizabeth’s book, but I read every single newspaper article that was written about them, every tell-all,” said Hines.

“Obviously, all of that material has to be taken with a grain of salt, and you have to be very judicious in terms of how you extract some of this information, because people have their own memories, people have their own slights, but we were exhaustive and diligent in how we approached this and I think that will ring true when people watch it," he continued.

“As a writer, it’s more healthy and effective to have some distance from the subject matter,” he told Variety at the show's premiere. “It allows you to be a lot more objective in how you approach the material, versus when you’re talking to people personally, you feel a sense of responsibility of relaying exactly what they’re telling you because they’ve given you their time.”

As renewed interest in Bessette’s life continues, from TikTok style tributes to fresh debates about her marriage, “Love Story” adds another chapter to the evolving cultural conversation. And according to the biographer who studied her life most closely, it’s one told with respect.