Three years after his death, Matthew Perry's story is being told by the people who knew him best. The One About Matthew Perry, a three-episode documentary series directed by Emmy winner Mary Robertson, premieres globally on Netflix on October 27 — one day before the third anniversary of the Friends star's death.
Perry died on October 28, 2023, at 54; a Los Angeles County medical examiner ruled the death accidental, with the acute effects of ketamine listed as the cause, and five people were later charged in connection with his death. The series sets out to show Perry as a full person beyond both the Chandler Bing persona and his public battle with addiction. His sister Mia Perry Bowick speaks about her brother on camera for the first time, alongside close friends David Pressman and Roger Castillo and former NBC president Warren Littlefield, who worked with Perry during the Friends years. The series also draws on unseen photographs and footage from the Perry family's private archive.
A trailer released with the premiere announcement includes archival recordings of Perry in which he describes praying for fame and reflects on the cost of achieving it — the central paradox of a life that the documentary frames as generous, funny, vulnerable and larger than life. Robertson, best known for directing Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, executive produces alongside Lisa Kalikow, Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman for Maxine Productions, a Sony Pictures Television company.
All three episodes arrive at once, positioning the series as one of the fall's major documentary events. For a generation that grew up with Chandler Bing's sarcasm as comfort television, The One About Matthew Perry promises something harder and more valuable than nostalgia: an honest record of the battles behind the icon, and the honesty that became his greatest legacy.