Max Adds Matthew Perry Tribute to 'Friends' Season Premieres

Fans watching the series on Max will now see a title card at the beginning of each season dedicated to Perry.

By Michael Hein

Friends has always been one of the biggest shows of the streaming era, and now Max has published a tribute to Matthew Perry in a place where fans will see it often. The streamer added a title card to each season premiere of Friends on its service, noting that the show is presented "in memory of Matthew Perry 1969 – 2023." Many fans are touched by the swift tribute.

Perry passed away on Saturday, Oct. 28 at his home in Los Angeles, California, according to a report by TMZ. He leaves behind a huge body of work on screen and a legacy of perseverance and activism off screen, but many fans will always remember him best as Chandler Bing on Friends. The sitcom was a global sensation when it was on the air from 1994 to 2004, but perhaps even more impressively it found a second life in the age of streaming. Once fans could watch whatever they wanted whenever they wanted, many turned to Friends as their "comfort show" to binge, re-watch, fall asleep to, or just keep on in the background.

The show undoubtedly owes much of that longevity to Perry, who delivered some of its most quotable lines as the wise-cracking Chandler. It's no surprise that Friends' streaming home dedicated a title card to Perry, who always spoke highly of the show as a source of entertainment and personal safe space for himself while he battled with addiction. Perry rejoined his castmates in 2021 for a reunion special that premiered exclusively on HBO Max, and is still streaming on Max today.

Perry was found dead by his personal assistant on Saturday who discovered him in his hot tub. Police said that there were no drugs or alcohol on the scene and no sign of foul play either. Perry's cause of death has not been publicly released, but many fans were horrified that the actor died so young after his highly publicized battle with addiction.

Perry just made himself more vulnerable than ever last fall when he released his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. In it, he confirmed some rumors about his drug use and denied others – for example, Perry said that he never got high while working on Friends, though he admits that his inebriation often bled over into work hours in one way or another, even if just as hangovers. He made public apologies to his collaborators and fans for his relapses and indiscretions.

Still, Perry made it clear that he did not share those stories for their shock value, but in the hopes that he could help others struggling with addiction. The actor made great strides to overcome his disease and he helped many others in the process. As fans mourn him, they are also looking back on his work and the quiet evolution of his legacy.

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