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Slapstick is back. With The Naked Gun hitting theaters on Friday, Paramount Pictures is betting on the kind of broad comedy that was once a big draw at the box office. If you’re looking to catch the original films, they’re conveniently streaming in one place, Paramount+.
Paramount+ is available with a one-week free trial and comes with two tiers. Paramount+ Essential is ad-supported, while Paramount+ Premium is ad-free, includes Showtime programming, and live access to CBS.
The film, directed by Akiva Schaffer, stars Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the character first inhabited by Leslie Nielsen in 1988. Neeson’s comedy chops have typically been brief cameos, including Life’s Too Short, Derry Girls, and Anchorman 2, but the Oscar-nominee’s affinity for comedy is no secret. Of course, it helps that Neeson has a similar-sounding name to Leslie Nielsen.
Here’s what you need to know about streaming the original films.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! was directed by David Zucker and written by the comedy trio Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker (ZAZ), known for directing goofy comedies like Airplane! and Top Secret!. A Rolling Stone reader survey from 2014 placed The Naked Gun as the 10th best comedy of all time.
Stream: Paramount+ / Rent: Prime Video
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear
The Naked Gun 2½ sees Nielsen and Priscilla Presley reprise their roles from the original. David Zucker cowrote and directed the film, although Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams were not involved with the script.
Stream: Paramount+ / Rent: Prime Video
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult
Directed by Peter Segal and co-written by Pat Proft, David Zucker, and Robert LoCash, sees Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, and O. J. Simpson reprise their roles (it was Simpson’s last role before his arrest later that year).
Stream: Paramount+ / Rent: Prime Video
Police Squad! The Complete Series
The original Naked Gun may have been a hit movie, but it was based on a short-lived ABC series, also created by ZAZ, titled Police Squad! That series is not availalbe to stream, but Blu-ray and DVD copies are available.
The Naked Gun Trilogy Collection
Don’t want another subscription? The trilogy is available on Blu-ray and DVD.
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