How many Naked Gun movies are there?

In 1988, The Naked Gun opened in cinemas. The crime comedy was devised as a loose spin-off from the short-lived television show, Police Squad!, and followed the story of inept police detective Lieutenant Frank Drebin, as he is assigned to his latest case.

Set out as a farcical spoof of the crime genre, The Naked Gun mixed goofball gags with slapstick comedy to produce one of the funniest movies of all time. This opening instalment delivered joke after joke, after joke, and had audiences roaring with laughter.

Upon release, The Naked Gun took over $152 million from a budget of $12 million and was a hit with critics. Due to the success of the film, a series of Naked Gun sequels soon followed, with Drebin at the centre of the action.

But how many Naked Gun movies are there? For all the details and more, keep reading.

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Naked Gun films in order

Police Squad (1982)

Making its debut in 1982, Police Squad! was a television comedy series starring Leslie Nielsen. The show revolved around Frank Drebin, a detective lieutenant who each week attempts to solve a crime.

Airing on ABC in the US, Police Squad! was a critical hit and featured a number of well-known guest stars, including Lorne Greene, William Shatner, and Robert Goulet, amongst others. However, ABC didn’t have much faith in the show, and after just six episodes Police Squad! was cancelled.

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

Believing there was still plenty of life left in Police Squad!, the show’s creators David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker began to work on a film version of the property. The film would follow a similar tone and include the same sort of humour as Police Squad!, but it would be a feature-length affair and would be retitled ‘The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!’.

Hitting screens in 1988, the movie saw Leslie Nielsen reprise the role of Frank Drebin in a humorous tale about an assassination. In the movie, rich businessman Vincent Ludwig has plans to use hypnotism to carry out his dastardly plot, with Drebin the only person who can stop him! (85 mins)

The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991)

With The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! being both a critical and commercial success, a sequel was soon put into production with Nielsen back on board as Drebin. Arriving in cinemas in 1991, this second instalment focused on oil executive Quentin Hapsburg, and his plans to further his business interests. (85 mins)

The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)

Upon release The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear was not a big hit with critics, however it was another box-office success. As such, a second sequel went into production, arriving in cinemas in 1994 under the title ‘The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult’.

In this film, Frank Drebin is brought out of retirement to work on a case involving a suspected terrorist attack. Leslie Nielsen reprised the role of Drebin for this third movie, once again delivering his ever-popular brand of deadpan humour which made the character so damn likeable. (83 mins)

The Naked Gun (2025)

Following the release of The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, the movie series went on hiatus for the next 15 years, before it was announced in 2009 that plans were being put in place to revive the property. The idea was to bring Nielsen back for a fourth film, appearing in a reduced role as he passed the torch onto his successor.

However, the proposed fourth film didn’t get off the ground and in 2010 Leslie Nielsen passed away. At this point it seemed as if the days of The Naked Gun movies were long gone, and the series would be rested.

But rather than ditch the idea of a fourth movie, Paramount Pictures started work on developing a new film, which would act as a reboot/loose sequel. This project then underwent various changes and iterations as the project entered development hell for more than a decade.

Finally, this fourth movie exited development hell and went into production under the title ‘The Naked Gun‘. Liam Neeson took on the role of Frank Drebin Jr, alongside a cast which included Pamela Anderson, CCH Pounder, and Paul Walter Hauser. (85 mins)

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The Naked Gun movies in order

To date, there are four Naked Gun movies and one television series. The Naked Gun movies and series include:

• Police Squad! (1982) – TV show
• The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) – Movie
• The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991) – Movie
• The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) – Movie
• The Naked Gun (2025) – Movie

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Who are the cast of the Naked Gun films and are the movies the work of the same director?

Notable actors in the Naked Gun movie series include Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, O. J. Simpson, Ricardo Montalbán, Robert Goulet, Richard Griffiths, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, Fred Ward, Anna Nicole Smith, Ed William, Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, Danny Huston, CCH Pounder, and Busta Rhymes.

In terms of directors, The Naked Gun series is the work of the following:

• David Zucker directed The Naked Gun and The Naked Gun 2 1/2
• Peter Segal directed The Naked Gun 33 1/3
• Akiva Schaffer directed 2025’s The Naked Gun

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Which is the best Naked Gun film?

According to IMDb The Naked Gun films are rated as follows:

• The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) – 7.6/10
• The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991) – 6.9/10
• The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) – 6.5/10
• The Naked Gun (2025) – Not yet rated

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Editor/Writer/Comedy Genius

Alex Wiggan

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I hope this information about The Naked Gun film series has proved useful. Should you wish to know more about other long-running movie series on It’s A Stampede!, please check out one of the recommended reads below.