Netflix’s New Bon Jovi Series Promises Sex, Stadiums, and Secrets

Netflix Announces Bon Jovi Docu-Drama Series “Blood on the Strings” with Band’s Full Cooperation

LOS ANGELES — Netflix is diving into the heart of rock history once again with a newly announced limited docu-drama series chronicling the rise, fall, and resurgence of legendary American rock band Bon Jovi. Titled Blood on the Strings, the series is currently in pre-production and slated for a 2026 release.

In what insiders are calling “one of Netflix’s most ambitious music biographies to date,” Blood on the Strings will explore Bon Jovi’s early struggles in New Jersey, their meteoric rise in the 1980s with hits like Livin’ on a Prayer and You Give Love a Bad Name, and the internal tensions that nearly tore the band apart during the late ‘90s and 2000s.

The project has been developed in close collaboration with Jon Bon Jovi, who is also attached as executive producer through his label and production company, Soul Foundation Media. While several documentaries on the band already exist — including 2024’s Thank You, Goodnight on Hulu — this is the first dramatized portrayal of their story, with scripted scenes and actors cast to play the band in their prime.

“We’ve told our story through songs and tours for four decades,” Jon Bon Jovi said in a Netflix statement. “Now it’s time to show people the parts they’ve never seen — the heartbreak, the fights, the sacrifices. It wasn’t all stadiums and platinum records. It was blood on the strings.”

Netflix has tapped Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, best known for Stranger Things, to oversee the visual and emotional tone of the series. Casting is underway, with rumored names being floated for the young Jon Bon Jovi including Austin Butler and Jacob Elordi.

Filming is expected to take place across New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Tokyo, revisiting iconic locations tied to the band’s past.

The band, recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and celebrating over 40 years of music, continues to perform worldwide despite Jon Bon Jovi’s vocal cord issues and Richie Sambora’s long-standing departure. This Netflix series, however, will depict the band’s core years — from 1983 to 2001 — and dramatize key moments including:

• The writing of Slippery When Wet

• The near-split during These Days

• Jon’s solo acting career in the late ‘90s

• Richie Sambora’s departure and substance battles

• The band’s return with Have a Nice Day and their transition into modern rock

Industry analysts are already predicting Emmy buzz given the creative team’s pedigree and the project’s scope. Netflix reportedly acquired rights to the band’s full catalog for soundtrack purposes — a deal valued at over $40 million.