The Biggest Differences Between Love & Death and Candy 

Which series do you like best? Who’s your favorite Candy? Let us know below!

In Candy, I really appreciated the actual 80s vibes, from the clothes, hairstyles and house interiors. I also liked the fact that she was clearly a psycho with her permanent grin and blank stares, and the sexual tension with Gore was intense. Candy was portrayed as a predator. However, in Love and Death, it is much more of a psychological portrait of an unhappy, bored housewife stuck in her uneventful life who litteraly has an affair with the first guy who lays eyes on her. We feel her void and deep loneliness. She is portrayed as a victim. All in all, I like both versions equally.

"Candy" gave its audience an in depth profile of Betty Gore. We saw her personality and how people didn't like her. "Love and Death" focuses more on Candy

Despite Lizzie not resembling the real Candy, she still performs the role well. I honestly enjoy both her and Jessica's different takes.

I love Olson, but I feel like Biel looks way more accurate. Candy wasn’t a drop dead gorgeous woman with perfect soft waves, so Love and Death glamorizes her too much.

The Max version has a lot more details. Including the brutal murder in the last episode. I was surprised they showed so much of it!

There's a woman out there who never met her mother and is now seeing two Hollywood tv shows about the person that killed her. I can't begin to imagine what she's feeling.

Both are good but I was really impressed with what a good actress Elizabeth Olsen is. To me the acting is more important than if the actress looks more like Candy. Also, in Love and Death each actor had time to develop their role as well and were also very good. I found myself looking forward to the next episode of Love and Death more than Candy and can't wait for episode five to air.

I like how Love and Death focused on the affair to help set the story up and develop it whereas with Candy, it mostly focused on the murder…

Love & Death for sure. I liked both, but I liked how Love & Death gave more info into the start of the relationship and how the affair started.

So far, Candy gets the cake for me. I'm waiting for Love and Death's end to see though

I love how there's an unleash on Lizzie's acting prowess in episode 4. The first three episodes she had it more reserved in character.

I thought the real life jury must've been out of their mind. After watching Candy I still felt like that. But L&D presents the case in a way that would make sense for them to reach that decision. It also fleshes out the supporting cast better.

I definitely prefer Pablo Scheriber’s Allan over the Love & Death.

Loved Love&Death ! Lizzie is slaying.❤

Haven’t watched candy but I’m watching love and death and I find it very good honestly better than I expected.

I think Hulu’s Candy made her seem jaded and borderline psychotic but love and death makes her seem human and almost relatable.

just finished watching both series and I have to say each has it's strengths but overall I liked Love & Death more. I thought the pacing, directing, court scene, and the characters were better. The 2 things I liked more about Candy were that it explored more about Betty and what she was going thru before the incident and also gave more context for why Candy wanted the have the affair.

As a teen my mom had the book , i was bored one day and started reading it , i tore though that book and was so shocked as a teen that this actually happened , just to think no one really knows what truly happened except those two women .that day .

I liked both but think Love & Death was better than Candy. It also made me realize how a jury could actually have found her not guilty where I was still wondering that after watching Candy.

The hair is iconic. Liz Olsen needs that hair. I'm rolling with Jessica Beil on this one. Hulu's version also gives a more interesting portrait of Betty, who is rightfully, the other key character.

I know we haven’t gotten the full “love and death” yet but I’m leaning towards Candy so far. It’s hard to say how I’ll feel when it’s all said and done. “Love and Death” seems to be a much slower burn. I think this is because Candy featured the murder in the first episode. I like that Jessica Biel looks more like Candy. I hate to say this but “Love and Death”makes me feel less empathetic towards Betty I felt so bad for her in Candy even though Jessica’s Candy was more likable as well.

Elizabeth adds little fun flairs and character traits to the script that make her Candy more convincing as a real person.

Candy focused on her more and the death. Love and Death gave more of a detailed background of the characters

I very much enjoyed both, but Jessica gripped me from the first seconds. I felt so immersed in it. It was a huge career high. In general I also preferred the stylization and tone of Candy (2022).

Candy was SO good!

Jessica Biel’s portrayal is my fav. But I like the story telling better in love and death. Olson is amazing too, especially at giving that crazy eye lol.

After watching Love and Death im assuming Candy is better. It just looks better even from the few scenes I’ve seen. The serious tone is better. I’ve never been a big Jessica Biel fan or Elizabeth Olsen fan but Jessica embodies the real Candy more

I honestly like both shows, and both actresses as Candy. It seems that Love & Death is more compassionate towards Candace Montgomery, while Candy is generally darker. The Betty Gore in Candy is better developed than the Betty Gore in Love & Death though.

Elizabeth Olsen is so incredible in Love & Death!

As brilliant as Elizabeth Olsen is, Jessica Biel edged it. Cold emotionless psychopath.

Love & Death's opening reminds me of Big Little Lies opening (both are David E. Kelley). I like both series...i feel that Love & Death made her more sympathetic, while the Hulu version made her a femme fatale. Also, the Hulu version showed more of the spouses and didnt make Betty seem so Karen-like.

Both good but just something about Elizabeth Olsens character made me want to watch more

I remember the call for extras during the filming of love and death. It’s great to see this finally on the screen

I began watching 'Love and Death' the other day and really enjoyed it. Then I saw that 'Candy' was based on the same story and finished that today. I thought I would have a bias for L&D since I watched it first but Candy is the clear winner. The cinematography, the costumes, the cast, the acting, the script and the way they told the story... Everything was superior. Really well done.

CANDY! Although Elizabeth olsen’s acting was very good, I enjoyed Candy way more. Especially with that little Justin Timberlake cameo. That was kinda fun since they’re married.

I have not watched Candy, but I can honestly say the way love and death set the story I am glad I came across it first.

I actually prefer Love and Death tbh. Elizabeth Olsen.AND Lily Rabe?? Yes, please!

Candy is the winner for me, Jessica was just better at the drama and so was Melanie. Love and Death was a bit too boring with the affair.

Candy did better and on lower budget too, let's be honest, people online only "fight" for this series now because of wanda 😅

I'm surprised at how much I like both, and I think they each give interesting perspectives. I do prefer Candy's period details, but I can understand the reasoning behind Love and Death opting not to go with the more extreme (yet accurate) hairstyles and wardrobe. If I had to choose at this point, I'd probably pick Candy because it doesn't make her as sympathetic, but we'll see if that holds true for the remaining episodes

I happen like Candy better, since the actress disappears into the character I'm into the story vs love and death, I'm fully aware it's an actress playing Candy since she doesn't look the part at all. Also I don't like how much love and death relies on a soundtrack of tunes, it's distracting and doesn't help with the narrative. On another note, there was a scene where it seems Candy WAS upset with Allan when he ended their affair, so why didn't he convey that on the stand!? I'm with Betty's father that he handed the case over to the defense with that. I don't like how both shows insinuate how Betty is "unlikable", emotionally manipulative and needy and that some how makes the audience less sympathetic to what happened to her.

Candy is the better show. And Jessica's portrayal is really good. She's cold and not overdo it. Aldo directional and production design wise Candy is just better

I prefer Candy and think my preference will remain as such. Love & Death isn’t horrible, but it feels gimmicky to me. It’s far too reliant on nostalgia, which I find weird for a piece like this. Candy felt like you were a fly on the wall, Love & Death feels like you’re in the audience of a cheesy stage adaptation. Once again, not horrible - but Candy takes the cake.

I’ve only seen Love & Death, and I thoroughly enjoyed the performances and storytelling.

Jessica Beal's acting was incredible. She set a ridiculously high bar for anyone else portraying the character.

So far I’m liking Candy a little bit more than love and death but I’ll have to wait for the final episode of love and death to make a decision.

I want to watch both, even though it’s the same overall plot. Jessica Biel is so underrated as an actor. Elizabeth Olsen is also great.

I liked Barbara Hershey in the TVM A Killing in a Small Town (1990). She won an Emmy.

Candy & Jessica Biel’s portrayal is my FAVORITE

I think love and death all over all is slower in a way I can actually let the whole story sink in. Candy was good no doubt but felt rushed the entire time. While L&D stretches out maybe a bit to long, it stays in my mind far better then Candy. I also enjoy the dark humor which is so bizarre while we’re always reminded that this actually freaking happened… it’s not premeditated, it’s explosive and pretty dam raw… another reason why I wouldn’t wanna get married in the first place🤣

A 'better show' for me is one that leaves the longer and greater impact on me even after it's finished and to say the least, the murder scene in Love & Death will stay with me forever. I don't know what it was in Candy that made the incident seem a bit rushed but the way it all unfolds in Love & Death with Olsen and Rabe's acting being the driving force of it all really gives it the edge for overall better quality. It's clear that Love & Death would be nothing without Elizabeth Olsen but Lily Rabe's performance in that scene could also win an emmy as well. The silent cries and screams when she's being hacked at with the axe is truly terrifying and although she's portrayed as a person who is completely insufferable, I couldn't help but feel for her. Candy was great when it came to accurately depicting the source material, when it came to setting the mood and the script was fairly alright but Love & Death won me over with the masterclass acting performances. Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Pelphrey, Jesse Plemons, Lily Rabe? Literally one of the strongest casts I've seen in a while.

I don't like the victim narrative Love and Death had of Candy's portrayal. She killed someone, a friend no less. And had she truly snapped and been instantly remorseful she would have called the cops right there and then. But she had all that time to clean herself up, grab a shower and leave Betty's crying infant all day covered in urine and feces.. All this while having Betty's older daughter in her care. Like WTF is even that? No.. That's not a victim that's a psycho who got off because she was just this poor little woman..

Peter Maximoff 🔜 Jeffery Dahmer Wanda Maximoff 🔜 Candy Wheeler

Spoiler Alert if you arent caught up to latest episode. Sorry in advance. In my opinion the opening credits of Love and death really captivate The whole Story. Nina Simone's voice alone is so powerful that every word in the lyrics. Justify that both women are indeed misunderstood. I do like The role that Elizabeth olsen is playing as candy I feel that her acting skills have improved so much over the years and I really admire her. Jessica biel did a Very good job as well as playing candy on the Hulu version . I did however didn't enjoy that it was pushed together in very few episodes. I prefer a slow burn. HBO releasing once a week was perfect leaving you wanting more with each ending of an episode. In the version candy on Hulu it showed candy being more of an aggressor resulting in a Brutal murder of Betty Gore . The HBO version Of Candice is Obviously Suffering from PTSD From the emotional & physical abuse from her mother. We all get a glimpse of that during her Hypnotherapy session. Which would explain her behavior on pleasing everyone in the community making sure that everybody is fine, the feeling of being needed and loved which she never received from her mother. It's almost like she needs the approval of the community. She has buried her truth and repressed her feelings for so many years. Once Allan ended it with her within those 9 months of seperation and rejection. All that rejection and resentment that she had dealt with prior, started to creep into her new life she has molded with her husband that he is not aware of. The confrontation and accusations that Betty approached candy with were acts of a person who has become defeated and caught out. The pretty picture she made in her mind that Betty would never suspect. All came crashing down on her. While she is aggressively axing Betty I believe she snapped in self defense but kept axing away because she saw her mother. you can hear it in her voice the anger and defeat. That is how I interpreted it. My vote is for Love & Death.

Hulu definitely strives for accuracy in their set, costume, hair & makeup designs for the true crime docudramas; particularly Candy and The Act. But, from a storytelling perspective, I think Love & Death is brilliant - it’s so much more character rich and detailed. I enjoyed them both very much, but for me HBO wins this time.

Side note: somewhere in Georgia … people are just finding out that their therapist butchered a woman with an axe (yikes!)

Love and death is a lot better imo. Both portrayed Candy very well and very differently but Elizabeth is clearly the superior actor. Love and death has its pacing issues but overall those issues can be overlooked because everything else is just so good. In Candy I was more like wanting it to get to the point already. The constant time jumps also threw me off. I liked both and they’re both great but Love and death is a lot better in my opinion.

I "auditioned" both series a little of both shows to see which I wanted to watch. Love and Death won me over and I watched the rest of it. Let's face it, it's entertainment, and I responded to Love and Death more positively. Elizabeth Olsen was truly fantastic, as was everybody. But SHE was incredible. Also, a shoutout to Tom Pelphry as Don Crowder, who plays the small town lawyer who represents Candy at the trial. He was fantastic. I think show was too long though. The 5 episode format of Candy would have been good for Love and Death I think. It could have been condensed.

Thank you so much for the content! I love the countdowns from Ms. Mojo. Always so entertaining. Keep Up the fantastic work.

I'm only halfway through the second episode of Love and Death, so I know I'm making an early judgement, but so far I still prefer Candy. It felt more accurate to the story. Like the fact that the characters look really different from their irl counterparts was disappointing. And I know this is nitpicky, but the family going to see Grease in theatres shortly before Halloween was another inaccuracy that bugged me, since the movie was released in the summer. I still enjoy what I've seen so far, but as of right now, I think Candy is the better of the two. Also Love and Death is such a painfully uncreative name.

Both the script and the acting in Love and Death won me over.

Love and death seemed too bland and the characters were too nice, there was no dynamic between betty and candy at all. In candy we see they as polar opposite’s, candy is the popular girl and betty the dumpy sad girl and u can see why the affair would lead them both to enjoy one another cuz their spouses were boring them. Also the scene where they fight just seems too forced in love and death cuz betty just happens to ask without any real indication that the affair even happened. Candy is way to nice in love and death to betty. The tension was visible in the air when candy last saw betty in Candy. And lets be honest jessica beil isnt super note worthy in a lot of stuff but shes amazing as candy. Elizabeth went for a role outside of her comfort zone and its pretty evident, her character doesnt seem very developed until episode 4.

Oh good! I wanted someone to cover a video like this!

HBOs was better in my opinion because it's more real. Lets be honest, most 1980s housewives did not come across as psychopathic and secretly evil, becaus they weren't. Candy being "relatable" in L&D makes the story so much more horrific, because how could she have done it?

Other than the fact that Lizzie and candy look nothing alike I do really like love and death. Her acting is amazing and they made the series in a way that made candy’s perspective actually make sense. Every episode had me on the edge of my seat and I was always really sad when it ended and I had to wait another week for the next one. for me it was a great experience and I will definitely re watch it someday! 👍

Lizzie's portrail felt like a really good and reasonable person, who was just fruatrated with her marriage. Candy portraid by jessica felt more realistic to me. She seemed like a person capable of loosing control. And the acting in candy didnt looked acting persey. I saw real people living the 80's L&D tries to make you sympathize with candy, while candy makes you sympathize with Alan and Betty's family Another thing: candy seems more respectfull. It really made me sick to watch the murder scene at the end of L&D. It was not necessary at all At the end of both ahows I ended up wondering how the jury found her not guilty. I would fear a person who simply hits another person 41x with an axe because lost control

I like both so far (I've watched all of "Candy" already), and both Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Olsen were terrific, but I kinda like Olsen's portrayal of Candy Montgomery more. Not saying there's anything wrong with the way Biel played her, of course. Just that Olsen gives Candy a bit more...charm, I think is the word to use.

I like both, but favor "Candy". I love the theme song for "Love & Death".

Spoilers I enjoyed them both. I’m enjoying the love and death better. I like the way they are telling the story. It was clear what candy did and what happened from the beginning I like that. And I love love the actors in love and death. Some of my favorites:))

I like both versions but I like Hulu’s version better.

Melanie was amazing in Candy

It’s odd, but for some reason I thought Elizabeth Olson was middle aged and was shocked to see that she’s only 34 y.o. I think it’s because she has a depth of character. I didn’t see Candy but as a die-hard Liz fan I know that her portrayal had more subtext. Whatever people may think of Candy’s guilt or innocence the bottom line is, she didn’t bring the ax. The real Candy moved to Florida and got divorced. I believe she works as a counselor for troubled youth.

I liked Candy a lot better. I think they also hid the children’s names out of respect? I don’t think dark humor is appropriate when telling true crime stories because someone really was brutally murdered and the person responsible is free right now. Just my thoughts.

I just watched all 3 episodes of Love 😂 Death.... I love it and love Liz in it! I also like it better than Candy🤔🤷🏿‍♀️❤️

Watched them both and Love & Death is by far the superior show. The entire production is better especially the acting. Candy, even the trailers, gives off a low budget 80s TV movie vibe. Jessica Biel looks ridiculous, I kept waiting for that perm wig to slip. 😅. L&D kept me on the edge of my seat much like a high quality suspense thriller. I'm definitely NOT one of those "he/she deserves and Oscar or Emmy or whatever award" people , but if Elizabeth Olsen wins an Emmy it wouldn't surprise me at all, she was outstanding and definitely gave off vibes of someone that was a bit touched in the head. I thought Tom Pelphrey who played Don Crowder was awesome, my favorite character.

I like Candy a bit better, I think it’s close but that version seemed a little more real

I like Biel's production for her acting, and the direction and cinematography. She better imparts the power that a psychopath can wield over others in an authoritarian culture where you don't question things. Biel pulls that off better than Olsen's sympathetic take on the character. I also have a problem with Olsen's Candy desiring Jesse Plemons... not feeling that-even in the 70's and nearly 80's. I'm also not a fan of going for "humor", in these real-life either. There are survivors of this drama still alive, even if the producer says it's what happened in real life. I think Candy handles that well in tone. And the look of Candy not only looks that of that era, its cinematography FEELS of that era, which transports the viewer even more effectively.

Love and Death sympathized with Candy Montgomery, “Candy” did not. It was left up to the viewer to judge her

Thanks! But also, why does Hollywood need to release interpretations so close together?

I only watched Love & Death (for Elizabeth Olsen) and it didn't disappoint! I never planned to watch Candy, and watching this video has given me the validation I needed that I chose the show I'd enjoy more (regardless of the Olsen factor). Thanks!

I really like Jessica Biel but think Elizabeth Olsen just owned it more and I was blown away by her performance

Why do we need two versions of the same story so close in time?? Especially, when they both focus heavily on the same people and the eventual murder. I guess they have some stylistic differences in humor, timeline, appearance, etc but does that justify telling the same story a couple of years later? Seems like they could have at least waited a decade to remake it to cater to a new generation. A Star Is Born was remade 4 times, with the exception of a series being made within 3yrs of a movie release, it was remade with at least a 15 year + gap between each remake. And at least the back to back movie and series were not both series or both movies.

Candy - better writing, better art direction, better hair and make-up, better character development, great casting and acting. Chemistry between Candy and Allan Gore. Love and Death - great acting, worse writing, some characters miscast, Elizabeth Olsen too pretty and likeable, too many episodes. No chemistry between Candy and Allan.

I really loved Candy. Jessica Beil did such a good job, and I love Melanie Lynskey!

😅 👏🏽👏🏽 both movies were good. The actors played the roles perfectly, the scene from the 70's brought back so many memories. Thank you on both takes on this true event

In my opinion, CANDY is waaaay better and the casting was waaaay better too

I had no idea they were based on the same true story. I ought to watch both now to compare

Both are really good, but I liked Candy, better.

Candy had better pacing and was more entertaining and was more humanizing with the best late 70s aesthetic that was Mad Men good.

Watched L&D and there was absolutely no mention that the summer of 1980 in North Texas was excessively hot... 113 - Highest official temperature ever recorded in Dallas (June 26-27) 29 - Most tied or broken records for daily high temperatures 69 - Most 100-degree days in a single year 42 - Most consecutive 100-degree days 92 - Highest average temperature for a single month (July) 105 - Highest average maximum temperature for a single month (July) 31 - Most 100-degree days in a single month (July) It may not have been a factor in the unfolding story, but it surely would have impacted any outdoor gatherings depicted during that period, and any murder story of this sort would have been a dramatic diversion from the daily news that was repetitively focused on the oppressive heat. It should have made it into the script in some form.

I like love and death because in spite of the serious subject matter, the Max show seems to have “fun” with the story. There was an ethereal humor to it all, which in itself was chilling.

Love and death just glosses over Davey like he didn’t exist I guess that’s fine he wasn’t really integral to the plot

In Love and Death, I despised Candy at the beginning. She was a selfish narcissist. But towards the end, especially after that hypnosis session, I felt sympathy towards her. In Hulu's adaptation, Candy was portrayed as a selfish narcissist at the beginning, and became a full-on psychopath at the end. Both adaptations are interesting, but I preferred Love and Death because the Candy's portrayal was more believable. However, I loved Melanie Lynskey's and Lily Rabe's portrayals of Betty equally.

After watching both, Love & Death was way better to me. Elizabeth Olsen deserves the Emmy. She was amazing in that role! I didn’t like in Candy how they made the entire trial seem like one day. So rushed and unrealistic.

I watched both & loved both equally. They both offered different perspectives, candy showed so so much more of the Betty and how she was aspect where love & death focused mainly on candy only. Love & death showed ALOT more of the gory death scene where candy showed just enough to get the point across. Both were good, but that’s just my opinion ❤ Edit to add: I DID like that in the show “candy” she looked a lot like the real candy, the entire time

So far i like both adaptations but Candy was not a victim, who slashes a friend with an axe over forty times? Love and Death is a good show though.

I started both but never finished. I obviously already know what happens so not in a hurry to finish

Love and death❤ Elizabeth Olsen is perfect her performance shows a relatable person. Loved the vintage tones of the visuals

Elizabeth Olsen makes the Love and Death show what it is, if it wasn't for her I don't think it would be as good. Haven't watched Candy yet.