Born in the wake of The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) and Airplane! (1980)—within a parody genre heavily influenced by Mel Brooks’ groundbreaking comedies like Blazing Saddles (1974)—the trio of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker (collectively known as ZAZ) developed the short-lived TV series Police Squad! (1982). A spoof of police procedurals, it gleefully satirized shows like M Squad (especially its opening credits) and Felony Squad.
Though Police Squad! was cancelled after just six episodes, the concept was reborn in feature film form through The Naked Gun series, which between 1988 and 1994 delivered three entries—The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991), and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994). As in the original series, all three starred Leslie Nielsen as the gloriously deadpan cop Frank Drebin. In between, ZAZ also crafted another comedy gem: Top Secret! (1984).
The spoof comedy boom of the 1980s and early 1990s brought other high points like Spaceballs (1987), Hot Shots! (1991), and National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1 (1993). But by the late ’90s, the genre began to fade—only to find new life after the success of Scream (1996) and its parody counterpart, Scary Movie (2000), created by the Wayans brothers. That franchise went on to spawn five entries through 2015, with David Zucker joining the creative team for the later films.
Following that resurgence, only a couple of titles—Epic Movie (2007) and Disaster Movie (2008)—gained any notable attention, at least commercially. Later attempts like A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014, by Seth MacFarlane) and The Ridiculous 6 (2015) channeled some of the anarchic spirit of Blazing Saddles, but filtered through the distinctive lenses of MacFarlane and Adam Sandler.
Meanwhile, Leslie Nielsen—whose breakout comic performance in Airplane! made him the definitive face of the modern spoof—became synonymous with the genre.
He went on to star in numerous similar films (Wrongfully Accused, Spy Hard, among others), but over time, the formula began to wear thin—not just for audiences, but for Nielsen himself, whose legacy remained tied to increasingly formulaic parody vehicles. He stayed in that comic mode until his death in 2010, by which time he had even appeared in two Scary Movie entries.
Much of the genre’s decline had less to do with so-called “political correctness” and more with shifting priorities within the film industry. With Hollywood investing less in adult-oriented comedies that didn’t involve superheroes (Deadpool being a rare exception), the spoof format lost its commercial home. Streaming platforms soon stepped in, drawing major comedic figures like Ricky Gervais, Dave Chappelle, Trey Parker, Adam Sandler, Seth MacFarlane, and even Mel Brooks—not because of censorship, but because streaming could simply pay better. Even auteurs like Scorsese and Fincher have migrated to online platforms.
Now, 37 years after the original Naked Gun, it’s both surprising and oddly fitting that the franchise returns to theaters—somewhere between a sequel and a reboot. Liam Neeson steps into the spotlight as Frank Drebin’s son, in a film that sticks closely to the original formula: rapid-fire gags, surreal twists, playfully recycled jokes, and glorious non sequiturs. The cast and creative team may be entirely new, but the spirit is unmistakably intact.
Neeson—largely known today for his late-career turn as a rugged action star since Taken (2008)—takes a rare detour into comedy. But he’s no stranger to the genre, having shown comedic timing in Seth MacFarlane’s film A Million Ways to Die in the West, and in the Ricky Gervais–Stephen Merchant series Life’s Too Short.
Here, he plays Frank Drebin Jr., a detective who continues his father’s legacy of solving crimes with wildly unorthodox methods—much to the dismay of his commanding officer. The story begins with the apparent suicide of an employee at a tech company. Drebin’s investigation introduces him to the victim’s sister, Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson), a true-crime author who insists her brother was murdered. As the case unfolds, Drebin crosses paths with Richard Cane (Danny Huston), a tech billionaire who plans to wipe out most of humanity and rebuild civilization with an elite few. Only Drebin stands in the way—and in doing so, must also save the future of Police Squad, which faces extinction.
What follows is everything fans might hope for: a constant stream of gags and over-the-top pop culture references, all delivered with an unlikely but compelling chemistry between Neeson and Anderson. The two spar their way through witty banter, increasingly risqué innuendos, and ultimately one of the most absurd ménage à trois scenes ever committed to film.
True to its roots, the film mixes slapstick, crude humor, and genre parody, while also taking jabs at more current targets—from tech moguls (the villain is an obvious Elon Musk stand-in) and cryptocurrency scams, to overreaching surveillance and police brutality. Yet its sharpest satire is reserved for today’s entertainment ecosystem, with fake YouTube-style ads stealing entire scenes with their pitch-perfect absurdity.
Ultimately, Naked Gun delivers a surprisingly successful reboot—blending nostalgia with reinvention in the now-familiar style of modern franchise revivals. It may not match the brilliance of the original, but it’s a worthy and genuinely entertaining return for one of comedy’s most beloved series.