Netflix Sets October 27 for Matthew Perry Documentary 'The One About Matthew Perry'

Netflix will release "The One About Matthew Perry," a three-part documentary about the late "Friends" star, on October 27 — the third anniversary of his death. The streamer unveiled the two-minute trailer on Tuesday.

The series chronicles Perry's rise to fame and his realization that celebrity was not everything he wanted. Drawing on testimony from his sister, Mia Perry Bowick, several close friends, and unreleased photographs and videos from the Perry family's private archive, it examines his career as an actor and comedian alongside his long-term struggle with drug use — a journey to sobriety he estimated cost him $7 million — and his repeated attempts to get sober.

Perry Bowick explained her decision to participate in a statement. "It's taken time for me to feel ready to share these memories and what it was like to love Matthew through all the complexity of his life — to see him as a whole person, not just as Chandler and not just as someone who struggled with addiction," she said.

"As his sister, he shaped who I am today, the person I strive to be and the work to which I've devoted my life," Perry Bowick continued. "Matthew had a beautiful heart and a generous spirit, and even in his darkest moments, he could still make you laugh and feel loved. I hope this series gives everyone who loved him, whether personally or from afar, a deeper appreciation for who he truly was and the legacy he survived by."

Beyond Perry Bowick, the documentary features firsthand memories from Perry's friends David Pressman and Roger Castillo, along with several former girlfriends. New interviews with collaborators from his early sitcom work and later television and film career fill out the portrait, including an account of Perry's audition for "Friends" and the creation of Chandler Bing told by former NBC President Warren Littlefield and Season 1 writer Jeff Strauss.

The series also presents new firsthand accounts of Perry's addiction and recovery, shared by the people closest to him.

Mary Robertson directs. She executive produces alongside Lisa Kalikow, Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman, with Lora Moftah as co-executive producer, Jessica Call as producer, and Maxine Productions, part of Sony Pictures Television, as the production company.

Robertson framed the project's purpose in a statement of her own. "Matthew Perry was one of the comedic geniuses of our time," she said. "Through his many films, TV and stage performances and his unforgettable portrayal of Chandler Bing, he made millions of us laugh, connect and feel a little less alone. He also gave us so much more by bravely speaking about addiction. Yet the public only knew part of his story. That's why we set out to make this series: to let the people who knew and loved Matthew reveal the person behind the public figure."

The documentary arrives as Perry's posthumous reputation continues to be reassessed — by admirers of his comedy, by readers of his 2022 memoir and by those who followed his open account of addiction. With family testimony and archival material never before seen, the series positions itself as the fullest account yet of the man behind Chandler Bing when it arrives on Netflix October 27.