Love & Death: release date, cast, plot, trailer and everything you need to about the Candy Montgomery drama

Love & Death sees Elizabeth Olsen plays real-life church-going housewife turned killer in a crime drama revealing a shocking murder case in 1980. This drama also stars Jesse Plemons, Patrick Fugit and Lily Rabe and brings to life the story of law-abiding Texan, Candy Montgomery who killed her lover’s wife with an axe when she rumbled their affair.

Last year, the Candy Montgomery case was dramatised in Hulu miniseries Candy, with Jessica Biel in the title role, and now Big Little Lies’ David E. Kelly is retelling it in Love & Death, alongside Homeland director Lesli Linka Glatter.

Here’s all the information we have on Love & Death…

Love & Death release date

Love & Death will be shown in the UK on ITVX from Thursday September 7 2023. Love & Death is a seven-part series that has already been shown in the US on HBO Max from April 27 2023.

Is there a trailer for Love & Death?

Yes there's a trailer for Love & Death where we see Candy (Elizabeth Olsen) admitting she’s bored with her small-town life and is looking to take some risks. She’s also warned to ‘be careful’ but it seems she paid no heed to such poignant advice. Take a look at the trailer below...

Love & Death plot

Love & Death follows the true crime story of 1980s housewife Candy Montgomery, who seems to have it all, with a perfect home, a loving family and a close-knit church community around her, but she can’t shake her sense of suburban distress. She then shares a moment with her fellow church member Allan Gore (Jesse Plemons) and decides to bring some excitement into her life by having an affair. Then, their respective spouses Pat (Patrick Fugit) and Betty (Lily Rabe) find out and things reach a shocking climax.

Love & Death cast — Elizabeth Olsen as Candy Montgomery

In Love & Death, Elizabeth Olsen stars as a axe murderer Candy Montgomery. Elizabeth is part of the Marvel Universe, playing Scarlet Witch in Avengers: Infinity War and Captain America: Civil War. She’s also starred in Sorry for your Loss, WandaVision, Wind River and Godzilla. 

Who else is starring in Love & Death?

Jesse Plemons plays Candy’ Montgomery's lover Allan Gore. He’s previously starred in The Irishman and The Power of the Dog. Lily Rabe (Shrinking, American Horror Story) is Allan’s wife Betty, who meets a grisly end. Patrick Fugit (Babylon) is Candy’s husband, Pat. Krysten Ritter, Amelie Dallimore, Tom Pelphrey and Olivia Grace Applegate also star.

The real story behind Love & Death

Candy Montgomery was a Texan mother-of-two who embarked on an affair with fellow church-goer Allan Gore. She had first become friends with Allan’s wife Betty, a teacher. When Betty gave birth to their child, Allan tried to end the affair. Then, on June 13 1980 Betty was killed after being struck 41 times by an axe. Candy was charged with the crime but pleaded not guilty on the grounds of self-defence. She claimed Betty attacked her with the axe during an argument but she then wrestled it from her and used it defend herself. She took a polygraph test, which backed up her claim. Following an eight-day trial Candy was found not guilty. She then moved away and began working in mental health. She and Pat divorced four years later.