How to watch the Naked Gun films in order
Here's how to watch the laugh-a-second spoofs in the right order.
After the success of 1980's Airplane!, the comedy writing-directing trio of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker decided to create a TV series. The result was Police Squad!, a spoof of police dramas which ran for just one series of six episodes in 1982.
Helming the series, and returning to work with ZAZ after Airplane!, was Leslie Nielsen as Lt Frank Drebin, a police detective who directly parodied roles that Nielsen had previously had in dramas such as The Bold Ones: The Protectors and The New Breed.
Over the next 12 years, Nielsen would continue to play Drebin in a series of feature films, the character proving incredibly successful. Nielsen's comedy skills are second to none, and it's difficult to believe that most of his work before Airplane! was in dramas as a leading man.
Over 40 years since the first iteration of the character, Frank Drebin has returned – well, his son has. The Naked Gun sees Liam Neeson (whose name almost rhymes with Nielsen's) take on the mantle at Police Squad as he plays Frank Drebin Jr.
Ahead of the new movie's release on Friday 1st August, here's the complete list of Naked Gun entries to get up to speed with what's been going on at Police Squad.
Police Squad! (1982)
Despite only running for six episodes, Police Squad! is one of the most fondly-remembered US comedies of the early '80s. It perfectly sets up the bizarre world of the films which follow and introduces audiences to Drebin, his boss Capt Ed Hocken (Alan North), and fellow detective Norberg. Although the latter two would be recast in the films, their dynamic is introduced here and remains broadly similar throughout the run.
Boasting a joke-per-minute ratio the likes of which TV would never see again, Police Squad! was cancelled after its first season but remains available to stream on Sky, and it can be purchased on DVD and Blu-ray.
Where to watch: Sky/NOW
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
ZAZ's next project after Police Squad! was the 1984 film Top Secret!, which was a mash-up and send-up of Elvis movies and World War Two films. Four years later, the trio returned to the worlds of Police Squad with The Naked Gun. Priscilla Presley and Ricardo Montalbán co-starred alongside Nielsen, and Hocken would now be played by George Kennedy, with OJ Simpson taking over the reins as Nordberg - simultaneously adding a letter into the character's name.
The intention with this movie was to blend together the heightened absurdism of Top Secret! with the relative sincerity and more direct parody of Airplane! - and ZAZ were extremely successful in this regard. Featuring some of the most memorable one-liners ever committed to film and kicking off the Naked Gun tradition of the "Weird Al" Yankovic cameo, this was an extraordinarily successful movie, making over 10 times its budget at the box office.
Where to watch: Netflix or Paramount+
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991)
Boasting an even more star-studded cast than the first movie, The Smell of Fear also features Robert Goulet as villain Quentin Hapsburg and Richard Griffiths as Dr Meinheimer. Perhaps they contributed to the films powerful box office performance - on a $23 million budget, the film brought in $192 million, making it the highest-grossing of the three original films.
The core Police Squad members and Presley's Jane also returned for this film. As well as The Smell of Fear's impressive theatrical release, it was received positively by critics, and fans of the franchise will likely be able to quote it backwards.
Where to watch: Paramount+
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994)
The Final Insult was, fittingly, the final of the original Naked Gun films. Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams weren't involved much with this entry, though David Zucker returned to co-write the screenplay.
This movie was not as successful as its predecessor - either at the box office or in the minds of critics - but it still packs in a decent number of laughs. It is also important for having introduced the character of Frank Drebin Jr. In 2012, a mobile game entitled The Naked Gun: ICUP was released, written by Robert LoCash, who had contributed to The Final Insult. In this game, Ed Hocken Jr and Nordberg Jr were introduced, neatly tying things over to the 2025 franchise reboot.
Where to watch: Paramount+
The Naked Gun (2025)
Opting for no numerical title or subtitle, 2025's The Naked Gun follows the adventures of Frank Drebin Jr, Ed Hocken Jr, and of course, Nordberg Jr. Starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, and from director Akiva Schaffer and producer Seth MacFarlane, the legacy sequel is set to be just as hilarious as the original trilogy.
The Naked Gun is released exclusively in cinemas on 1 August 2025. Following its theatrical run, it will likely be available on Paramount+ (but this has not yet been confirmed). For now, cinemas are the only way to see it!
Where to watch: cinemas from 1st August
The Naked Gun is in cinemas from Friday 1st August 2025.
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