Ryan Murphy’s Love Story, which revisits the relationship between Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr., has viewers deep in 90s nostalgia — and these shows across HBO Max, Prime Video, Netflix and Hulu keep the vibe going.
The series stars Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Anthony Kelly, tracing the couple’s early 1990s meetings, their 1996 wedding and its cultural impact. Production designer Alex DiGerlando told Curbed that “a note that Ryan gave very early on was that he wanted the show to kind of be a showcase for ’90s minimalism.” That minimalist aesthetic is central to the show’s appeal.
The real story behind the series carries weight. Carolyn and John married in 1996. They both died on July 16, 1999, from fatal injuries sustained in a plane crash piloted by John F. Kennedy Jr., after crashing into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The crash was caused by pilot spatial disorientation in hazy, dark conditions. Carolyn’s sister, Lauren Bessette, also died in the crash.
If the show has you craving more 90s New York energy, fashion-forward storytelling or semi-historical dramatizations, here’s what to watch next — organized by where you can stream them.
‘Friends’ — HBO Max
Friends followed six friends living in New York City across 10 seasons. There’s a direct connection to Love Story: Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy worked at Calvin Klein, which is also where Friends character Rachel Green works in later seasons.
The overlap runs deeper than a shared employer. While not officially confirmed by Friends creators, Rachel Green’s iconic 90s fashion transformation is widely considered to be inspired by Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and her style. If the fashion side of Love Story is what pulled you in, this is a strong companion watch.
‘Sex and the City’ — HBO Max
Set in 90s to 2000s Manhattan, Sex and the City centers on Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda navigating dating and fashion. Where Love Story gives you high-society minimalism, Sex and the City gives you the chaotic, glamorous dating scene happening in the same city during roughly the same era.
Carrie Bradshaw was inspired by author Candace Bushnell, who wrote the Sex and the City book and column that inspired the HBO series. Bushnell also operated in similar high-profile New York City social circles with Carolyn, although it’s unclear if they directly met or were particularly close. If you love the idea of 90s New York as a character unto itself, this show delivers.
‘The Nanny’ — Prime Video
The Nanny stars Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, who becomes the nanny for a wealthy Manhattan family and develops a relationship with her widowed employer, Maxwell. The six-season show ran from 1993 to 1999 and is peak 90s fashion, especially Fran’s iconic, colorful and often animal-printed clothing sets.
If you loved the fashion in Love Story for its minimalism, The Nanny offers the complete opposite — loud, bold and maximal in every way. Together, the two shows capture the full spectrum of what 90s style actually looked like, from the understated Calvin Klein world of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy to Fran Fine’s head-to-toe prints.
‘Daisy Jones & The Six’ — Prime Video
This is probably the closest vibe match to what Ryan Murphy is doing with Love Story — a fictional-but-inspired-by-real-events narrative built on aesthetics, music and complicated relationships. It’s based on the novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid and draws inspiration from the band Fleetwood Mac, particularly the relationship between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.
The era is different — think 70s rock instead of 90s minimalism — but the DNA is the same: a lush period piece that uses real cultural history as its jumping-off point. If the semi-historical dramatization angle of Love Story is what grabbed you, this should be next in your queue.
‘Seinfeld’ — Netflix
The iconic 90s comedy follows four single friends — Jerry Seinfeld, George Costanza, Elaine Benes and Cosmo Kramer — dealing with daily life in New York City. Where Friends gives you the aspirational side of 90s New York living, Seinfeld gives you the cynical, hilariously mundane side. It’s another essential piece of the cultural puzzle if you’re trying to understand what New York actually felt like during the era Love Story depicts.
‘Pam & Tommy’ — Hulu
The Hulu series came out in 2022 and depicts the tumultuous relationship between Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, portrayed by Lily James and Sebastian Stan. It covers the scandal involving their stolen honeymoon sex tape and their 1998 divorce.
It follows the same basic formula as Love Story: take a real couple whose relationship became a massive cultural moment, cast compelling leads and recreate the era with obsessive attention to period detail. The tone is wildly different — more chaotic and tabloid-driven compared to Love Story’s polished restraint — but if you’re building a personal syllabus on 90s pop culture through prestige TV, this fits right in.
