Key Facts: The One About Matthew Perry is the No. 1 series on Netflix in the United States as of November 1, 2026. The three-part documentary premiered on October 27, 2026. It holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes from early reviews. All three episodes are streaming now.
Key Facts: The One About Matthew Perry is the No. 1 series on Netflix in the United States as of November 1, 2026. The three-part documentary premiered on October 27, 2026. It holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes from early reviews. All three episodes are streaming now.
The One About Matthew Perry did not need a reunion to reach the top. Netflix released it one day before the third anniversary of Perry’s death. Within a day, it took the No. 1 spot on the daily US chart. It stayed there through the week. For a quiet, family-led film, that is striking.
Perry died on October 28, 2023, at age 54. The medical examiner ruled that he died from the acute effects of ketamine. He was best known as Chandler Bing on Friends (1994–2004). This film looks past that role. It asks who Perry was when the cameras stopped.
Why is The One About Matthew Perry No. 1 on Netflix?
First, timing helped. It arrived as fans marked three years since his death. Second, critics backed it early. Rotten Tomatoes showed 100% from 12 reviews on October 30, 2026. That small sample may shift. Metacritic listed it at 71 out of 100.
Third, audiences stayed with it. Screen Rant reported a 7.8 IMDb score and named it a top weekend pick. What’s on Netflix listed it as the No. 1 US series on November 1, ahead of The Fall of El Mayo and Nobody Wants This. In short, it found critics and casual viewers alike.
The series runs about three hours: three episodes of roughly 50 minutes each. Director Mary Robertson, who made Quiet on Set, keeps her style calm and direct. She lets family and friends speak at length. As a result, the film feels personal, not flashy.
Matthew Perry in 2013, during his advocacy work on drug courts. Photo: Valerie Jarrett, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Why the Friends cast is not in The One About Matthew Perry
The biggest talking point is who is missing. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer give no new interviews. They appear only in old footage. That choice has fueled debate online. But the reason, per Robertson, is simple and human.
Robertson told Netflix’s Tudum guide that the cast was approached, but decided not to take part. They love Perry and are grieving in their own way, she said. They did not want to relive that grief on camera. So the film respects that boundary.
Still, the cast is present in one moving memory. Bowick recalls his private funeral in November 2023. She says the five actors walked in together, held hands, and cried around his casket. Aniston, she says, came over to her first. That scene says more than a new interview might.
Who does speak in The One About Matthew Perry?
Bowick anchors the series, speaking on camera for the first time about her brother. She wants viewers to see him as more than Chandler, and more than his addiction. That framing shapes the whole film.
Other voices fill in the gaps: Roger Castillo, Perry’s best friend for over 40 years, plus actor Kevin Pollak and director Jonathan Lynn. Former NBC chief Warren Littlefield and writer Jeff Strauss recall the early Friends years. Unreleased family photos and home videos run through the film.
Matthew Perry in 2007, during his post-Friends career. Photo: David Shankbone, via Wikimedia Commons.
What The One About Matthew Perry reveals — and what it leaves out
Bowick puts a number on his fight for sobriety: more than $7 million trying to get sober. Earlier reports around his 2022 memoir put rehab costs above $9 million. The gap matters less than the point. He treated his illness with great seriousness, and at great cost.
The film also revisits his 2018 health crisis. His colon ruptured after opioid overuse. He spent two weeks in a coma and five months in hospital, then used a colostomy bag for nine months. By the 2021 Friends reunion, reports say he felt intense pressure. His sister says he seemed to have aged 20 years in three months.
Meanwhile, the film keeps its focus on life, not court cases. It gives limited time to the criminal cases that followed his death. Some critics praise that restraint. Others want more detail. The Hollywood Reporter calls it intimate and sincere, but overly padded. Deadline says it offers little fans have not heard before. Both views can be true. The film is warm, but not definitive.
The One About Matthew Perry: a timeline worth keeping
Here is the arc the documentary traces, in brief.
| Year | What happened | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1994–2004 | Perry stars as Chandler Bing on Friends | He becomes a global star, but his private struggles grow |
| 2018 | His colon ruptures; he spends two weeks in a coma | A near-death crisis that reshapes his final years |
| 2021 | He returns for Friends: The Reunion | His health and nerves are under strain on camera |
| 2022 | He publishes his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing | He tells his own story in his own words |
| Oct. 28, 2023 | He dies at 54 from the acute effects of ketamine | A loss that still drives tributes three years on |
| Oct. 27, 2026 | The One About Matthew Perry premieres on Netflix | His sister speaks on camera for the first time |
| Oct. 28–Nov. 1, 2026 | It reaches No. 1 in the US and holds the spot | Viewers choose a quiet tribute over louder hits |
Should you watch The One About Matthew Perry?
Yes, if you want the person behind the punchlines. This is not a Friends reunion in disguise. It is a sister’s account, backed by old friends. It discusses addiction and death throughout, so take care if those topics are hard for you.
Finally, its success says something about Netflix viewers. A three-hour, grief-led documentary beat big scripted hits. Audiences still want real stories, told with care. No sequel has been announced. All three episodes are streaming on Netflix. If you loved Chandler, watch it for Perry.
See also our Halloween box office report, our verdict on Below on Netflix, and our guide to Mayor of Kingstown season 5.
Sources: Parade (Oct. 29, 2026); Men’s Journal (Oct. 30, 2026); Screen Rant (Oct. 30, 2026). Chart positions and review scores are as reported on those dates and may change as more reviews arrive.
