Less than two weeks after the death of series star Matthew Perry, Friends has climbed to the No. 1 spot on the TV streaming charts. From 1994 to 2004, Perry played the role of Chandler Bing on the acclaimed sitcom, which follows a tight-knit group of six friends living in Manhattan.
JustWatch reported that for the week of Oct. 30 – Nov. 5, Friends — which streams exclusively on Max — was the top-ranked TV show among American viewers. Friends surpassed Netflix’s new wartime drama All the Light We Cannot See and Amazon Prime Video’s Gen V.
The streaming guide exclusively relies on data voluntarily provided by its 40 million users, so viewers had to either click on the title, add it to a watchlist or mark the series or an episode as ‘seen,’ according to The Messenger. This differs from Nielsen’s Streaming Content Ratings, which is based on a sample of Nielsen’s Streaming Meter homes; Nielsen did not include Friends in this week’s rankings.
After five years on Netflix, Friends moved to Max (formerly HBO Max) in May 2020 for the streaming service’s launch. Max added a tribute card for Perry shortly after his death that now appears at the start of each season.
Perry was found unresponsive in his hot tub at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, Oct. 28. Since his death, tributes have been pouring in from Hollywood stars who shared their condolences and memories with Perry on social media. His Friends cast-mates expressed their sadness about the loss of their dear friend in a joint statement to People on Monday.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer said in the statement. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
Perry’s co-stars were spotted attending the late actor’s funeral at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles’ on Friday. The last time the cast reunited was in 2021 for the Friends: The Reunion special on Max.
The Matthew Perry Foundation, launched on Friday, will help individuals struggling with addiction. Perry, who has been candid about his own battle with addiction since his teenage years, expressed his desire to be remembered for his advocacy work rather than his acting projects.
“I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker. And his paramount thing is that he wants to help people. That’s what I want,” Perry told host Tom Power on the Q with Tom Power podcast while promoting his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.
He continued, “The best thing about me, bar none, is that if somebody comes to me and says, ‘I can’t stop drinking, can you help me?’ I can say ‘yes’ and follow up and do it. When I die, I don’t want ‘Friends’ to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I want that to be the first thing that’s mentioned. And I’m gonna live the rest of my life proving that.”
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