Netflix is about to drop its keenly awaited docuseries about late Friends star Matthew Perry.

The three-part show looks back at the life of the actor who played Chandler Bing on the hit TV sitcom.

It also features never-before-seen material from the Perry family’s private archive, and interviews with people who knew Perry well.

But some of his most famous Friends will be missing – former co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer all reportedly turned down a request to be involved.

“They were reached out to and decided not to participate,” a source told The New York Post newspaper’s Page Six column.

“Ultimately, the series gives a voice to other friends and colleagues in his life who have memory and love from Matthew.”

Aniston, in particular, is said to have struggled with the idea of expressing her grief in public.

“There’s no way Jen would ever do something like that. She isn’t going to sit down and start crying on camera. She doesn’t want to relive it and have it be so public,” a second source said.

Perry died at his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2023, from the acute effects of a ketamine overdose exacerbated by drowning. He was 54.

Earlier this year, a prolific drug dealer known as the “ketamine queen” was sentenced after admitting to illegally supplying the ‌dose that led to Perry’s death. Jasveen Sangha will serve 15 years in jail.

Matthew Perry (left) with his Friends castmates.

A year after his death, Aniston marked the sad anniversary with poignant posts on social media.

“Oh boy this one has cut deep … Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before,” she wrote to accompany a carousel of images and a video clip of her and Perry.

“Matty, I love you so much and I know you are now completely at peace and out of any pain. I talk to you every day … sometimes I can almost hear you saying, ‘could you BE any crazier?’

“Rest little brother. You always made my day …”

Perry’s sister Mia Perry Bowick has previously explained why she decided to speak out for the first time in The One About Matthew Perry.

“It’s taken time for me to feel ready to share these memories and what it was like to love Matthew through all the complexity of his life – to see him as a whole person, not just as Chandler, and not just as someone who struggled with addiction,” she said.

“As his sister, he shaped who I am today, the person I strive to be, and the work to which I’ve devoted my life.

“Matthew had a beautiful heart and a generous spirit, and even in his darkest moments, he could still make you laugh and feel loved.

“I hope this series gives everyone who loved him, whether personally or from afar, a deeper appreciation for who he truly was, and the legacy he leaves behind.”

Others to feature in the upcoming Netflix series include Roger Castillo, Perry’s best friend for more than 40 years who drove him to his Friends audition. Two other friends, actor David Pressman and Marjorie Harris Newman, will also feature, along with former NBC Entertainment president Warren Littlefield and Billy Gallo, who co-starred in 1980s TV series Boys Will Be Boys with Perry.

Perry got his big break in 1994 with Friends, and played Chandler Bing for all 10 seasons. He also appeared in films, including Fools Rush In (1997), Almost Heroes, Three to Tango, The Whole Nine Yards (2000) and its sequel The Whole Ten Yards (2004), as well as Numb (2007) and 17 Again (2009).

After Friends ended in 2004, he starred in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Mr. Sunshine, Go On and The Odd Couple, and earned an Emmy nomination for The West Wing. He wrote the play The End of Longing, which premiered in London in 2016, and published his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, in 2022.

Perry also supported addiction recovery efforts and turned his Malibu home into a support centre.

The One About Matthew Perry drops on Netflix on October 27

-with AAP