Matthew Perry's Death Helped Skyrocket 'Friends' Streaming Success
By Kelly Coffey-Behrens on November 7, 2023 at 3:30 PM EST
Following Matthew Perry's tragic death, fans of the late actor have been streaming his hit television series, 'Friends,' on MAX, formerly known as HBO MAX, so much so that it is now the top-ranked TV show among American viewers.
The 54-year-old late actor was best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the famous sitcom where he appeared alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Lisa Kudrow, for 10 seasons.
As we previously reported, police responded to a 911 call on October 28 to assist with a possible ‘water rescue’ at Matthew Perry’s Pacific Palisades home. When the first responders arrived, they reportedly found the 54-year-old 'Friends' actor in his hot tub, unresponsive. Perry is believed to have drowned, but an autopsy and toxicology reports will be able to answer more questions about his true cause of death.
'Friends' Tops Streaming Charts Following Matthew Perry's Death
Following Matthew Perry's tragic and unexpected death, fans are remembering the late actor by streaming his most popular show, 'Friends.'
According to data compiled by streaming guide JustWatch, 'Friends' was the top-ranked TV show among American viewers for the week of October 30-November 5 -- the week following Perry's passing. It is important to note that JustWatch stats are based on self-reported data, unlike passive measurement services such as Nielsen’s Streaming Content Ratings.
Limited series 'All the Light We Cannot See' on Netflix and 'Gen V' on Amazon’s Prime Video came in just behind 'Friends.'
'Friends' was removed from Netflix and became available exclusively on MAX when the streaming service debuted in May 2020 as HBO MAX. The streaming service has also added a tribute to Perry, which now appears at the start of each season in his honor.
Matthew Perry's Struggle With Addiction During His Time On 'Friends'
The 54-year-old actor had struggled with addiction for a long time, including when he was filming the hit television show.
After he got clean, he opened up about that time in his life, stating how it wasn’t fair that he struggled with addiction while his other cast mates did not.
“You know, the thing that always makes me cry, and I hope that I don’t cry here.. is that it’s not fair,” Perry in an interview at the time. “It’s not, it’s not fair that I had to go through this disease while the other five didn’t,” he continued. “They got everything that I got. But I had to fight this thing and still have to fight this thing.”
During the sit-down interview, he got teary-eyed thinking back to that time in his life, but that did not stop him from giving advice to those currently struggling with addiction.
“And so just to end this on a good note, there are people that will help you. And get their help,” he stated at the time. “It doesn’t go away. It never goes away.”
Matthew Perry Opens Up Like Never Before In His Memoir'
When Perry released his memoir, he also opened up and let down his walls about his addiction.
“[I was] at the height of my highest point in ‘Friends’, the highest point in my career, the iconic moment on the iconic show,” the actor said when promoting his memoir last year. “When you’re a drug addict, it’s all math. I wasn’t doing it to feel high or to feel good. I certainly wasn’t a partyer; I just wanted to sit on my couch, take five Vicodin, and watch a movie. That was heaven for me. It no longer is.”
Perry went on to say he had been clean for 18 months at the time, stating, “I’ve probably spent $9 million or something trying to get sober.”
The actor also admitted that he could not watch the show back due to his addiction. “[I] can’t watch the show because I was brutally thin,” he stated. “Because I could go drinking, opiates, drinking, cocaine. I could tell season by season by how I looked. That’s why I don’t want to watch it because that’s what I see.”
