A new three-part documentary series exploring the life of actor Matthew Perry will premiere on Netflix on October 27.
Titled El de Matthew Perry, the upcoming series celebrates the late actor's life and career through never-before-heard accounts from close family members and lifelong friends, combined with unseen photographs and video footage from his family's private archive.
The three-part production will feature personal recollections alongside statements from friends and collaborators who shared different stages of his professional trajectory.
Unseen family accounts
Among the central interviewees in the documentary is Perry's sister, Mia Perry Bowick, who works as a psychotherapist, author, and speaker.
Perry Bowick provides new testimony about what it was like to love her brother and support him throughout his multi-year struggles with substance abuse. She explained that she required time before feeling ready to share those personal memories publicly and to portray the actor as a complete human being, beyond his famous screen role and the details of his passing.
Producers aimed to ensure the series extends beyond his public persona as Chandler Bing. The narrative follows his career from his early acting steps to his rise as one of television's most famous figures, while also examining the personal hardships that marked much of his life.
Legal details and health struggles
Perry died in 2023 at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 54. Authorities found him deceased in his hot tub following a fatal overdose of ketamine, a powerful anesthetic drug.
Several individuals accused of selling, delivering, and administering the ketamine to Perry have already entered guilty pleas in connection with his death.
The actor had engaged in a long battle with addiction spanning many years, which included repeated admissions to rehabilitation centers. As noted in his published memoirs, Perry expressed a desire to be remembered for contributions beyond his signature comedic television role.
Background on Friends
Perry earned international acclaim for his portrayal of Chandler Bing on the hit NBC sitcom Friends, which ran for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004. The ensemble comedy series, co-starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer, became one of the most popular shows in television history.
In 2022, Perry published his candid autobiography, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, detailing his television career and his ongoing battles with substance abuse. In the book, he emphasized his hope that his open discussion of addiction would help others seeking recovery.
The three-part documentary series El de Matthew Perry will be available for streaming on Netflix prior to the end of October.
