The One About Matthew Perry Is a Celebration of Life

A documentary about the life of Friends star Matthew Perry could take many forms. Since the actor’s death from an overdose in 2023, there have been countless tributes to him, but there’s also been the saga of multiple people (including his former assistant) being sentenced for supplying him with ketamine. The upcoming documentary, The One About Matthew Perry, isn’t shying away from the hard parts of his life, but the trailer promises a story that ultimately looks on the positive side of his story. “All great stories have comedy and tragedy in them,” Perry’s sister Mia Perry Bowick says in the trailer, “and that certainly was Matthew’s story.” In archival footage, even Perry himself seems to agree. “I said, ‘God, you can do anything you want to me. Just please make me famous,’” he says in a talk-show clip. “I got a phone call and I instantly knew my whole life was gonna change. But God did not forget the other part.”

The upcoming Netflix documentary series is three parts, and it will use both contemporary interviews and old footage of Perry to explain his life. Directed by Emmy Award winner Mary Robertson, the doc includes the first interview with Perry Bowick since her brother’s death, as well as interviews with his “buddy” actor David Pressman. Notably not featured in the doc is anybody central to Friends, including his former co-stars or the show’s creators, Marta Kauffman and David Crane. The series will premiere on October 27. Friends fans should watch with tissues in hand.