Before watching Liam Neeson’s The Naked Gun reboot, fans of anarchic parody movies need to seek out the original trilogy starring the iconic Leslie Nielsen. Liam Neeson’s upcoming Naked Gun reboot might be 2025’s most exciting comedy, and that’s mostly thanks to its leading man. An action genre veteran, Neeson has stoic screen presence that anchored countless deathly serious cop movies.

As such, it is inherently hilarious to see the star bring the same ᴅᴇᴀᴅpan self-seriousness to the absurd world of the Naked Gun movies. Like Airplane! before it, 1988’s Leslie Nielsen vehicle The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! made the ingenious choice to play its cop movie parody totally straight.

Whether he was landing face-first in a woman’s cleavage or bouncing a gun off the ground like a basketball, Nielsen’s Frank Drebin always acted as if he were starring in a completely serious, solemn cop procedural. Already, the Naked Gun reboot’s early reactions confirm that the quietly hilarious Neeson has recaptured this same ᴅᴇᴀᴅpan charm.

Leslie Nielsen’s The Naked Gun Trilogy Were Must-See Movies Before Liam Neeson’s Reboot

They’re All Streaming On Paramount+

As such, there’s no better time for viewers to seek out the original Naked Gun trilogy than right now. All three movies are available to view on Paramount+ and, as well as being iconic comedy classics, the original trilogy’s movies are also canonically tied to the reboot.

The connection between The Naked Gun’s reboot and the original trilogy is clear from the trailer, which reveals that Neeson’s character is the son of Nielsen’s Drebin. This means watching The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult technically counts as prepping for the new movie.

Of course, as fans of the trilogy can attest, no one needs an excuse to revisit these classics regularly. Although the parody movie format waned in popularity during the ‘00s thanks to online short-form spoofs and all but vanished since the 2010s, the Naked Gun trilogy elevated this oft-dismissed mode to high art.

Like Airplane! and the criminally underrated TV show Police Squad!,, which spawned the trilogy, the Naked Gun movies blend rapid-fire sight gags, puns, character comedy, slapstick, gross-out jokes, satire, and surreal moments to create a comedy style that pummels the viewer into submission. Almost no one could emerge from the series without a smile on their face.

So, while Neeson’s reboot is a must-watch, the original trilogy is well worth seeking out for comedy fans. The critical consensus on the new movie will arrive soon, but The Naked Gun trilogy is already a set of undisputed classics.