If you loved
Police Squad!
Jerry Zucker · Series · 1982
If you enjoy the bumbling investigators and absurd, deadpan humor of Police Squad!, you will appreciate these chaotic takes on crime.
Start with the source
Adaptation
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
David Zucker · Film · 1988
Adaptation
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
Peter Segal · Film · 1994
Books on the same thread
Misreadings
Umberto Eco · Book · 1993
Just as Police Squad! deconstructs the tropes of cop dramas with sharp satire, Eco uses these essays to playfully dismantle intellectual pretension through a similarly witty and subversive lens.
Largo Desolato
Václav Havel · Book · 1987
If you admire how Police Squad! finds absurdity within the police apparatus, you will connect with this play, which explores the surreal and suffocating nature of life under state surveillance.
Dog Man (Captain Underpants: Dog Man #1)
Dav Pilkey · Book · 2016
This graphic novel captures the same slapstick energy found in Police Squad! by centering on a canine officer whose bumbling pursuit of justice mirrors Frank Drebin's own comedic, chaotic investigations.
Dog Man a Tale of Two Kitties
Dav Pilkey · Book · 2019
Fans of the relentless visual gags in Police Squad! will find a kindred spirit in this series, which maintains a similar pace of humor while navigating the absurdity of crime.
Films on the same thread
The Naked Gun
Akiva Schaffer · Film · 2025
This film directly continues the legacy of Police Squad! by thrusting a new, equally incompetent investigator into a high-stakes murder case, perfectly preserving the original's signature brand of absurd satire.
Fargo
Joel Coen · Film · 1996
While darker in tone, this film mirrors the core incompetence of the investigators in Police Squad!, showing how bumbling police work can turn a criminal scheme into an unexpected disaster.
A Shot in the Dark
Blake Edwards · Film · 1964
Inspector Clouseau is the spiritual predecessor to the bumbling Lieutenant Frank Drebin, delivering the same level of slapstick failure and farcical investigation that made Police Squad! a comedic masterpiece.
Police Academy
Film · 1984
Much like the squad of misfits in Police Squad!, this film finds hilarity in the institutional failure of a police force that lowers its standards to allow for absolute chaos.
Podcasts on the same thread
Crime in Sports
James Pietragallo, Jimmie Whisman · Podcast · 2026
This podcast mirrors the satirical spirit of Police Squad! by applying a humorous, investigative eye to the legal absurdities and scandalous behavior found within the world of professional sports.
Small Town Murder
James Pietragallo, Jimmie Whisman · Podcast · 2026
If you enjoy the way Police Squad! finds comedy in the seriousness of crime, you will appreciate this podcast, which pairs deep research with a comedic, ironic take on true crime.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Police Squad! the same as the movie series?
Police Squad! is the 1982 television series that inspired the films. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! serves as the 1988 movie adaptation, followed by the 1994 sequel Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult, which continues the investigations of Lieutenant Frank Drebin.
What order should I watch Police Squad! and the movies?
You should begin with the 1982 Police Squad! television series. After finishing the show, you can proceed to the film adaptations starting with The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! released in 1988, and conclude with Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult from 1994.
Are the Naked Gun movies based on Police Squad!?
Yes, the movie series is directly based on the 1982 television show Police Squad!. The 1988 film The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! and the 1994 sequel Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult both feature Lieutenant Frank Drebin and his fellow officers.
How many movies followed the Police Squad! television series?
There are two films that followed the 1982 television series Police Squad!. These include the 1988 movie The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! and the 1994 sequel titled Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult, both of which feature Lieutenant Frank Drebin.