The Bobby Love Story from writer Shalisha Francis-Feusner in the works at FX

FX is developing The Bobby Love Story, a one-hour drama starring and executive produced by Octavia Spencer alongside Kerry Washington. Written and executive produced by Francis-Feusner, who also serves as showrunner, The Bobby Love Story is a dramatic true account of an escaped convict, Bobby Love, and his wife of 35+ years, Cheryl Love, who never knew his secret. Bobby Love and Cheryl Love serve as executive producers alongside Girls co-showrunner Jenni Konner who played a key role in putting the project together.

The Loves’ story was featured in a 2020 multi-part series on Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York blog where it went viral and led to a 10-way bidding war for the rights.


Octavia Spencer

As a Black child in the Jim Crow South, Bobby Love found himself in legal trouble before his 14th birthday. Sparked by the desperation he felt in the face of limited options and the pull of the streets, Love became a master thief. He soon found himself facing a 30-year prison sentence. But Love was smarter than his jailers. He escaped, fled to New York, changed his name, and started a new life as “Bobby Love.” During that time, he worked multiple jobs to support his wife and their growing family, coached Little League, attended church, took his kids to Disneyland, and led an otherwise normal life. Then it all came crashing down.

Cheryl and Bobby Love’s memoir, The Redemption of Bobby Love: A Story of Faith, Family, and Justice, was published on October 5 by Mariner Books/William Morrow.