Netflix’s Matthew Perry documentary looks even more heartbreaking than we imagined

Netflix is set to release a three-part docu-series on the life and death of Friends star Matthew Perry.

The comic actor – who shot to fame as funnyman Chandler Bing on the New York-set sitcom – died in 2023 from drowning and the ‘acute effects’ of horse tranquiliser ketamine.

Aptly titled The One About Matthew Perry, the trailer for the Netflix series dropped today and features a range of interviews with his loved ones, all of whom are seen overcome with emotion at points in their interviews.

Those the docu-series spoke to include Perry’s sister Mia Perry Bowick and Perry’s best friend for over 40 years, Roger Castillo.

While none of Perry’s co-stars from Friends participated in the episodes, among those listed as contributors are show writer and producer Jeff Strauss and TV exec Warren Littlefield, who greenlit the show’s pilot.

The Netflix series touts itself as the ‘first in-depth documentary about the actor’ and also includes previously unreleased photos and videos from the Perry family archive, which show the actor before stardom.

The docu-series is directed by Emmy winner Mary Robertson, who described Perry as ‘one of the comedic geniuses of our time’ in the official Netflix announcement.

Robertson added: ‘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.’

Netflix shared the trailer on social media, where it has already racked up hundreds of thousands of views, with many commenting on how emotional it is to hear Perry in his own words in the trailer.

‘Making people laugh. It’s a world that I want to be involved in,’ Perry is heard saying as clips of slapstick moments from Friends play. 

In another archive interview, Perry says: ‘I said, “God, you can do anything to me, just please make me famous.” I got a phone call and I instantly knew my whole life was going to change. But God did not forget the other part.’

Elsewhere in the trailer, as Perry’s longtime addiction is tackled head-on, his sister reveals he spent $7million trying to get sober, adding: ‘That’s how seriously he took his disease.’

Reacting to the first look at the docu-series online, James Prescott tweeted: ‘This is going to be emotional,’ while Hannah Walsh admitted in the comments on X that she had been reduced to tears en route to work by the trailer.

‘Man. It’s gonna be hard but absolutely watching this,’ commented @GogitoFritos.

The One About Matthew Perry premieres on Netflix on October 27.