How will HBO Max’s Love & Death differ from Hulu’s Candy?

The trailer for HBO Max’s new limited series Love & Death recently dropped, and it instantly generated a lot of buzz. I was just stoked to see something new with Elizabeth Olsen in it. I haven’t seen any of the Avengers movies, so I had no idea who Wanda Maximoff was or that Elizabeth Olsen played her…until I watched WandaVision on Disney+. (Luckily, I didn’t technically need to be an Avengers fan to enjoy it, but I’m sure it would’ve helped me appreciate parts of it better. Still, I thought she was fire in that series. I became an instant fan of hers because of it.)

Anyway, fast forward to the teaser release for the upcoming Love & Death miniseries. Less than five seconds in, I felt an overwhelming sense of deja vu.

“Wait,” I thought to myself. “Isn’t this just another incarnation of the same true crime that Hulu’s Candy was based on?”

Yep. Love & Death also portrays the events that led up to churchgoing homemaker Candace Montgomery murdering her lover’s wife, Betty Gore, with an axe on Friday, June 13, 1980, in Wylie, Texas.

Side note: In 2022, Hulu released two series based on shocking true crimes that shared an unexpected connection. One was a drama miniseries (Candy) and the other a docuseries (Keeper of the Ashes). The murders in both happened on June 13. Although the murders of Lori Lee Farmer, Michele Guse, and Doris Denise Miller that was the subject of Keeper of the Ashes didn’t happen on a Friday the 13th. They took place on Monday, June 13, 1977. But still, June 13 was involved.

Anyway, Candy was very well done. It led me to wonder how HBO Max’s version might differ, and ways it might be the same.

Since Love & Death doesn’t premiere until April 27, there’s no way to know all the ways it will differ. But from the trailer and what we know so far, we can draw the following five conclusions.

1. The Actors

This is an obvious one. (But a difference nonetheless!)

Candy starred Jessica Biel as Candace Montgomery, Melanie Lynskey as Betty Gore, Pablo Schreiber as Allan Gore, and Timothy Sims as Pat Montgomery.

As mentioned above, in Love & Death Elizabeth Olsen stars as Candance Montgomery, while Patrick Fugit plays her husband Pat. Jesse Plemons stars in the role of Allan Gore, and Lily Rabe plays his wife Betty.

Both casts are loaded with talent. But for anyone who saw Candy first, it might be hard not to run a comparison. (I plan to try my hardest not to.) Hopefully, the performances in Love & Death are just as engrossing as the ones in Candy.

2. The Episodes

As Decider described it best, Hulu gave Candy “special treatment” and released one episode a night for five nights straight “like an old-fashioned network miniseries.”

Instead of five episodes, Love & Death tells the story in seven episodes. The first three of which will debut on HBO Max on April 27. After that, the remaining four episodes will drop weekly through May 25.

3. Love & Death at SXSW 2023

Obviously, Candy wouldn’t run at the 2023 South by Southwest (SXSW), but it wasn’t part of 2022’s lineup either. However, Love & Death is an official selection of the 2023 SXSW Film & TV Festival.

4. Focuses Less on Betty Gore and More on Candace Montgomery

If IMDB’s data is correct, Lily Rabe (as Betty Gore) only appears in one of the seven episodes of Love & Death, whereas Melanie Lynskey in the same role appeared in all five episodes of Candy.

Although, I hope this is wrong. While Candace Montgomery’s actions resulted in a sensational story, to glamorize that while forsaking the victim would be a shame.

5. The Narration

Candy opened with the murder, then told the story in reverse to show how events led up to that moment. When it caught up, the remaining episodes depicted what happened afterward.

I’m not 100% positive what narrative style Love & Death embraces, but it appears it might be more of a linear one. Although we’ll know for sure when it premieres on April 27.

Candy Trailer

Love & Death Teaser

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Did you watch Candy? Do you plan to watch Love & Death?