Who Will Lead ‘Love Story’ Season 2? 10 Famous Couples Who Could Get the Spotlight
With the Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette finale airing on March 26, we’ve all started to brainstorm the couples who could get the spotlight in a potential second season. There are countless real-life love story possibilities across the worlds of film, music, and literature alone.
The show’s creator, Connor Hines, has already expressed interest in bringing Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton‘s romance to the screen, so they’re definitely in the mix. Ahead of the first season‘s debut, Love Story dropped the “American” portion of its title, opening the series to more romances outside America. (Royals, anyone?)
After much thought, Swooon has come up with 10 couples whose relationships would be fascinating to explore in Season 2 or beyond. From Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham‘s romance to Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III’s royal love story, there are so many love stories we’d love to see unfold.
Let us know if you agree with our picks, and drop other Season 2 ideas in the comments below.
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, Season Finale, March 6, 9/8c, FX
Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton
A popular choice, for sure. Burton and Taylor remain one of Hollywood’s most legendary couples. A season dedicated to them wouldn’t have a single dull moment. From their scandalous Cleopatra affair to their two marriages to that 69-carat diamond, there’s no shortage of chapters to explore in their love story. (We would absolutely need an entire episode revolving around these two filming Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? That’s a non-negotiable.)
Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham
Nicks and Buckingham mixed love and music, resulting in one rocky romance. A season focused on them would be rife with tension and incredible music. The recording of Rumours alone! The 1997 “Silver Springs” performance!
Ryan Murphy already has an in with Nicks, but to dig up all the Buckingham-Nicks drama at this stage might not be the best idea. Plus, we already kind of got a TV version of their romance in Daisy Jones & The Six.
Ruby Dee & Ossie Davis
Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis were the ultimate power couple. They fell in love on the set of the 1946 play Jeb and wed in 1948. They were married for nearly 60 years and triumphed both onscreen and off. They starred in dozens of projects together and were tireless civil rights activists. Their love story is a timeless tale of devotion and the power of partnership in both art and activism.
Joan Didion & John Dunne
A marriage built on love and collaboration. Prolific writers Joan Didion and John Dunne married in 1964, which sealed their romantic and creative union. They led fascinating lives in New York and Los Angeles through the decades. As much as Didion’s classic The Year of Magical Thinking is an exploration of her grief, it’s also a stunning reflection on her love for John. Love Story material? Absolutely.
Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were the quintessential TV power couple in the 1950s — both onscreen and off. Their 20-year marriage was far from perfect, with Desi’s infidelity and alcoholism being contributing factors in the downfall of their relationship. They shocked the world when they divorced in 1960. Despite their split, Ball and Arnaz remained close friends.
Laurence Olivier & Vivien Leigh
Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh‘s romance is a strong contender in Swooon’s eyes. Their relationship started out as an affair. “This wasn’t just out of lust. This was love that I really didn’t ask for but was drawn into,” Olivier said in Lord Larry: A Personal Portrait of Laurence Olivier. They wrote steamy love letters while keeping their romance a secret. Olivier and Leigh eventually married, but their relationship faced many highs and lows involving their careers and Leigh’s initially undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Their marriage didn’t last, but Olivier didn’t hesitate to rush to Leigh when she died in 1967.
Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn
Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn‘s 26-year affair was dubbed the “worst-kept secret” in Hollywood. They starred in nine movies together during their relationship and became one of the most coveted onscreen duos. Despite Tracy’s refusal to divorce his wife, Hepburn remained devoted to the actor. She called their time together “absolute bliss.”
Robert Wagner & Natalie Wood
It’s unlikely that Love Story would follow the first season with another couple whose romance also ended tragically. Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood were married twice. When looking back at their reunion, Wagner told Express that his relationship with Wood “was different the second time around because we realized that we had a very special and marvelous love for each other. It was very fortunate that we found each other again.”
In 1981, Wood died by drowning during a night aboard her husband’s yacht. Wood, Wagner, Christopher Walken, and the boat captain were on board at the time. Through the decades, the tragedy has been the focus of countless conspiracies about who was responsible for her death.
John Lennon & Yoko Ono
If the Love Story team wanted to hop on Sam Mendes’ Beatles train, John Lennon and Yoko Ono‘s relationship is right there. They became one of the most famous couples in the world, especially after the Beatles split up a year after Lennon and Ono married. (Many unfairly speculated that Ono had a hand in the band’s splitting up.) Lennon and Ono were together for 14 years before their love story came to a tragic halt when Lennon was murdered outside his and Ono’s New York City apartment in 1980.
Grace Kelly & Prince Rainier III
Who doesn’t love a royal love story? Actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco married in what was called the “wedding of the century.” Ryan Murphy hasn’t yet tapped into the royals, and this would give his team the opportunity to mix Hollywood and real royalty. Princess Grace and Prince Rainier’s fairy tale love story lasted for 26 years until Kelly died from injuries she sustained in a 1982 car crash. Prince Rainier never remarried after his wife’s tragic death.
