Here’s How to Watch the Original The Naked Gun Movies in Order

Growing up, the Naked Gun series was a staple in my household. I rented the movies so regularly that my parents gave me the trilogy on DVD for Christmas one year. So when a reboot, or legacy sequel, titled The Naked Gun was announced, I was excited. And apparently, I wasn’t the only one — according to Box Office Mojo, the film generated nearly $17 million at the box office domestically in its opening weekend. Plus, The Naked Gun 2025 has a whopping 90% critic rating and 76% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, so it’s garnering solid praise.

Whether you’re revisiting the trilogy or experiencing it for the first time, here’s how to watch all of the original The Naked Gun movies in order.

How many movies are in The Naked Gun series?

The Naked Gun series is comprised of three films, with the fourth — the reboot — that came out in August:

• The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)
• The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear (1991) 
• The Naked Gun 33 ⅓: The Final Insult (1994)
• The Naked Gun (2025)

The movies are based on the character of Lieutenant Frank Drebin from the TV series Police Squad!, which is disappointingly unavailable for streaming anywhere. So if you want to explore the roots of the franchise, you’ll need to cop the show on DVD or Blu-ray. 

Do you need to watch all The Naked Gun trilogy before the 2025 film?

I would recommend watching The Naked Gun trilogy before the 2025 reboot. The new flick is a legacy sequel, or a continuation of the series, coming out many years after its predecessor. It features Liam Neeson as the son of Lieutenant Frank Drebin, so there’s continuity with the previous film. Likewise, Paul Walter Hauser portrays Captain Ed Hocken Jr., son of Captain Ed Hocken (played by Alan North in Police Squad and George Kennedy in The Naked Gun film series). Plus, there may be some throughlines with the first three movies. 

You can stream all of The Naked Gun movies in one convenient place

All three The Naked Gun movies — the 1988 original, The Smell of Fear and The Final Insult — are streaming on Paramount Plus, making it easy to binge-watch the series.

Because it hosts the entire The Naked Gun film series, a Paramount Plus subscription is the easiest way to stream the franchise. Paramount Plus costs $8 a month or $60 annually on the Essential tier, while the Premium plan goes for $13 a month or $120 annually. The Paramount Plus Essential package is ad-supported, doesn’t let you download movies or shows for offline viewing, lacks CBS live streaming, doesn’t support 4K streaming for the best-possible video quality and only has select Showtime series. Upgrading to Paramount Plus Premium gives you the ability to download titles for offline viewing, CBS live streaming, Showtime and 4K video quality for select movies and shows.

In addition to The Naked Gun trilogy, you can stream loads of other movies and shows such as Smile 2, Gladiator II and Mayor of Kingstown on Paramount Plus.

Read our Paramount Plus review.

How to watch The Naked Gun movies with a VPN

If you’re traveling abroad and want to keep up with your favorite shows or movies while away from home, a VPN can help enhance your privacy when streaming. It encrypts your web traffic and prevents your internet service provider from throttling your speeds, and can also be helpful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks while traveling, adding an extra layer of privacy protection for your devices and logins.

VPNs are legal in many countries, including the US and Canada, and can be used for legitimate purposes such as improving online privacy. However, some streaming services may have policies restricting VPN usage to access region-specific content. If you’re considering a VPN for streaming, check the platform’s terms of service to ensure compliance.

If you choose to use a VPN, follow the provider’s installation instructions, ensuring you’re connected securely and in compliance with applicable laws and service agreements. Some streaming platforms may block access when a VPN is detected, so verifying if your streaming subscription allows VPN usage is crucial.

ExpressVPN is our recommendation as the best VPN for streaming overall. Its fast speeds, generous global server network and intuitive apps for all platforms — including Apple TV, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV streaming devices — make it an exceptional choice for unblocking region-restricted movies and TV shows. ExpressVPN costs $13 a month, $100 for the first year (renewing at $100 annually) or $140 total for the first two years (renewing at $117 a year).

Read our ExpressVPN review.