Matthew Perry documentary on Netflix: who is in it, and the Friends stars who said no

The new Matthew Perry documentary, The One About Matthew Perry, is on Netflix now. It arrived on Tuesday 27 October 2026, a day before the third anniversary of the Friends star’s death, and it tells his story through his sister, his friends and the people who worked with him.

What it doesn’t have is any of his Friends co-stars. Netflix says all five were approached, and all five declined. Here’s who is in it, how many episodes there are, what it reveals, and how it compares with the two other recent Matthew Perry documentaries shown in the UK.

What is The One About Matthew Perry?

The One About Matthew Perry is a three-part Netflix documentary about the Friends star’s life, career, addiction and death. Netflix describes it as “the true story of the beloved Friends star from the people who knew him best”.

It follows him from young comedian to Chandler Bing, through his long fight to stay sober, to his death and the criminal case that followed. It uses photos and home videos from the Perry family’s private archive that haven’t been seen before.

The director is Mary Robertson, who co-directed Quiet on Set. It is made by Maxine Productions, part of Sony Pictures Television.

How many episodes are there, and where can you watch it in the UK?

There are three episodes, each about 50 minutes long, and all three are on Netflix in the UK now. You need a Netflix subscription to watch.

All three episodes were released at once on Tuesday 27 October, so there’s no weekly wait. Matthew Perry died on 28 October 2023, so the series lands on the eve of the third anniversary of his death.

Who is in The One About Matthew Perry?

His sister, Mia Perry Bowick, is the main voice. Netflix lists 18 people taking part, including Kevin Pollak, Tim Harrington, Warren Littlefield and the prosecutor who brought the case over his death.

• Mia Perry BowickHis sister, and the main voice
• Tim HarringtonFriend he met in recovery in 2001
• Kevin PollakActor, his co-star in The Whole Nine Yards
• David PressmanLongtime friend
• Jeff StraussFriends writer and producer, season one
• Warren LittlefieldFormer NBC entertainment president
• Jonathan LynnDirected him in The Whole Nine Yards
• Mary McNamaraLos Angeles Times critic
• E. Martin EstradaFormer US Attorney who brought the case

The others on Netflix’s list are Roger Castillo, Marjorie Harris Newman, Billy Gallo, Doug Draizin, René Ashton, Nate Torrence, West Huddleston, Evelyn Sallinger and Rome.

Are the Friends cast in the Matthew Perry documentary?

No. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer were all approached to take part, and all five declined, Netflix says.

Robertson said she understood their decision, because people grieve in different ways, Newsweek reported. His stepfather, Keith Morrison, and some other family members also chose not to take part.

The five are still in the story, though. Bowick describes them arriving at his funeral together, holding hands around his casket and crying. And she remembers Aniston and Cox looking after her when she visited the set as a child.

What does the Netflix documentary reveal?

The biggest revelation is the money and the struggle. His sister says he spent more than $7 million trying to get sober, and the series shows how close she came to losing him years before he died.

• More than $7 million on sobriety. That is Bowick’s figure. Coverage of his 2022 memoir put it at more than $9 million, so the two don’t match.
• The 2018 coma. Bowick rushed to hospital six weeks after giving birth. He came out of a coma and was discharged three months later, but the recovery didn’t last.
• The Friends wedding. Bowick says he had just left treatment around the time Chandler and Monica’s wedding episode was filmed.
• The 2021 reunion. Kevin Pollak recalls him struggling on camera, and Bowick says it left him drained.
• The friend he saved. Tim Harrington says Perry invited him to move in when he feared he’d be living in his car. They lived together for about a year, and Harrington credits him with saving his life.

There’s also archive footage of Perry himself. “The beliefs that I had were I was too needy, I wasn’t enough, and I didn’t matter,” he says in one interview, the Mirror reported.

Which Matthew Perry documentary should you watch?

Start with The One About Matthew Perry on Netflix, because it’s the only one told by his own family. The ITV and BBC documentaries focus more on his final days and the people charged over his death.

The ITV film was made by ITN Productions and first went out in the US, before its UK debut on ITV1 on 18 August 2025. The BBC film features friends of Sangha speaking publicly about her for the first time.

How did Matthew Perry die?

Matthew Perry died at his home in Los Angeles on 28 October 2023, aged 54. The medical examiner ruled that he died from the acute effects of ketamine.

Five people pleaded guilty in connection with his death, including two doctors and his live-in assistant. Jasveen Sangha, the dealer known as the “Ketamine Queen”, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison in April 2026. Dr Salvador Plasencia, who sold Perry ketamine in the weeks before he died, was sentenced to two and a half years.

The Netflix series covers the investigation, with E. Martin Estrada, who was the US Attorney when the charges were brought, among those taking part.

Episode details, participants and the Friends cast’s decision are from Netflix Tudum. Revelations are from Newsweek and the Mirror. Episode length is from ScreenCrush. ITV details are from the ITV Press Centre. Sentences are from AP via the Boston Globe.