One of the weirdest movies of all time produced a surprisingly consistent franchise, and it puts a lot of other ongoing film series to shame. Film franchises have become increasingly popular in the 21st century, with nearly every movie in theaters being a sequel, spinoff, or reboot of a preexisting piece of media.

It’s still incredibly tricky to get a franchise right, and it takes finesse to deliver a strong follow-up. What’s more, sequels often have to up the ante, which is where they usually falter. The best sequels are a mix of what made the first movie so great, as well as a heaping helping of new ideas to keep things fresh.

There’s one movie franchise in particular that hasn’t had to worry about the common pitfalls, and has perfected a formula that works every time. In a truly unique case, one of the strongest movie franchises in recent memory actually came from a totally unexpected source. Against all odds, this franchise has been good every single time.

Jackᴀss Is Incredibly Absurd But Remarkably Consistent

The Stunt TV Show Translated Surprisingly Well To The Big Screen

After three seasons on MTV, the comedy stunt show Jackᴀss was prepared to sign-off for good. In 2002, the cast reunited for their first-ever feature-length film, which was intended to conclude the series on a high note. Jackᴀss: The Movie brought all the low-brow antics of the show and made them even bigger with an expanded budget and global scope.

While other TV show movies struggle to adapt their short-form stories to a feature-length format, Jackᴀss: The Movie is like an episode of the show, but better. Though it got middling reviews, it was a significant financial hit, and spawned a sequel a few years later. Jackᴀss Number Two eventually begat Jackᴀss 3D, and finally Jackᴀss Forever in 2022.

There isn’t a storytelling element to the films, so each Jackᴀss movie relies on ridiculous stunts instead. All the familiar cast members are willing to put their bodies on the line for laughs, so the movies all succeed at what they set out to accomplish. Critics might not love them, but that’s not important to Johnny Knoxville and his crowd.

Even The Jackᴀss Spinoff Movie Is Solid

Johnny Knoxville’s Bad Grandpa Isn’t So Bad After All

After the huge box office of Jackᴀss 3D, the franchise went in a different direction with a spinoff. Bad Grandpa eschewed the narrative-less stunt spectacular of the other Jackᴀss movies, and actually told a loose narrative with real-life hidden camera pranks sprinkled in too. Johnny Knoxville plays the тιтular octogenarian, who is trying to get rid of his 8-year-old grandson.

The humor comes from the over-the-top pranks, and Bad Grandpa isn’t afraid to go for the gusto. In the same vein Borat, Knoxville and his young co-star terrorize random people with absurd questions and hilarious stunts. The narrative is actually pretty compelling too, and there’s a bit of heart in the movie series known for its buffoonish antics.