What is The One About Matthew Perry on Netflix?
The One About Matthew Perry is a three-episode Netflix documentary series about the life and career of Matthew Perry, the actor who played Chandler Bing on the sitcom Friends. It covers his rise to fame, his struggles with addiction, and his death from a ketamine overdose in October 2023.
Why it's in the news
Netflix has released the three-episode documentary about Matthew Perry's career and addiction, almost exactly three years after his death. Critics have begun publishing reviews, and five people have been charged in connection with his death.
- Matthew Perry — Netflix releases Matthew Perry documentary about his life and death
Background
Matthew Perry played Chandler Bing on Friends, the American sitcom that ran on television until 2004. In his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, he wrote openly about his dependence on painkillers, which began after a jet ski accident.
The documentary follows his rise to fame and his later problems with alcohol and drugs, including ketamine, which he first began using to treat depression. It includes personal testimony from friends and from his younger sister, Mia Perry Bowick. Perry died of an overdose of ketamine in October 2023. Five people have been charged in connection with his death.
The series also looks at the 2021 reunion special of Friends, and at Perry's health during that period. Early critical reaction has been mixed. One review headline calls the series a tragic, mournful portrait of addiction. Another calls it intimate and sincere but overly padded. A third calls it a loving tribute.
What people are asking
When was The One About Matthew Perry released?
Netflix released the three-episode documentary almost exactly three years after Perry died in October 2023.
Who is in The One About Matthew Perry?
The series includes testimony from friends of Matthew Perry and from his younger sister, Mia Perry Bowick.
What is the documentary about?
It covers Perry's rise to fame as Chandler Bing on Friends, his struggles with alcohol and drugs including ketamine, and his death from an overdose in October 2023.
How have critics reviewed it?
Reviews are mixed in tone. One headline calls it a tragic, mournful portrait of addiction. Another calls it intimate and sincere but overly padded. A third calls it a loving tribute.
Has anyone been charged in Perry's death?
Five people have been charged in connection with his death.
Sources
- The New York Times“The One About Matthew Perry” Docuseries Comes to Netflix
- People.comMatthew Perry’s Sister on the Bittersweet Truth Behind His ‘Friends’ Wedding (Exclusive)
- The IndependentFive things we learnt from the Matthew Perry documentary on Netflix
- The GuardianThe One About Matthew Perry review – the star of one of TV’s biggest ever shows gets a loving tribute
- VarietyNetflix Docuseries ‘The One About Matthew Perry’ Is a Tragic, Mournful Portrait of Addiction: TV Review
- The Hollywood Reporter‘The One About Matthew Perry’ Review: Netflix’s Intimate and Sincere but Overly Padded Docuseries