Most of us have a preference for what genres we watch, one of themost popular genres being comedy. Many may think that making a comedy successfully only takes minimal effort when the opposite is true. Comedy involves timing, believability, character, and a strong narrative. In order for acomedy to be truly good, and valued, it must have a believable story with a bit of drama to drive the plot forward while still making the audience laugh.
We could all use a good laugh from time to time, and what better way to do that than to curl up with a good comedy. While other genres like action or horror lend themselves to trilogies, comedy trilogies are rarely mentioned. Sometimes fans think that they lack the magic of the original and are attemps to cash in, but comedy trilogies make for an interesting watch as they show how the characters evolve through comedic circumstances. If you’re really in the mood to laugh over and over again, here are the best comedy movie trilogies of all time.
Update July 05, 2025: If you love to laugh and enjoy a good comedy, you’ll be happy to know that this article has been updated with more comedy trilogies.
The Hangover
Date of Release
July 30, 2025
The Hangover Part II
August 03, 2025
The Hangover Part III
July 13, 2025
The Hangoversaw almost immediate success upon its release. When a group of friends departs for Las Vegas to celebrate Doug’s bachelor party two days before his wedding, they have a wild night and, the next morning, find themselves surrounded by a mess, wild animals, a random baby, and a missing Doug. The groomsmen attempt to remember the events that occurred the night before to retrace their steps and see where Doug might be so that he can make it to his wedding. The series continues under similar circumstances, retracing their steps after a night they cannot remember.
What began as one amusing black comedy film snowballed into a trilogy. It is because Todd Philips directed the inaugural film with an expert comedy touch, one that captures the silly humor between friends and the mundanity of everyday actions, that turned the male-ensemble film into a lighthearted rollercoaster ride. The sequels, which definitely delighted fans, stayed true to the crazy plot twists but in someways tettered off as is the apparent in their overall box office decline by the time the third movie hit theaters. Overall a testament to how perfect its formula is,The Hangovertrilogy remains a fan favorite.
Bill & Ted
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
July 04, 2025
Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey
August 02, 2025
Bill & Ted Face the Music
August 09, 2025
Bill and Ted are beloved by many as radical surfer-dudes who are given a magical phone-booth by a stranger in order to travel back in time to learn things that happened in history from the source without having the drag of studying it from a book. Bill and Ted are two lovable characters and what they lack in intelligence, they make up for in heart-warming naivety and overall dumbness. Beginning withBill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, the film received a cult following, enough to warrant two sequels, the last of which,Bill and Ted Face the Music,was released in 2020.
When we first meet Bill and Ted inBill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, they’re just two lovable metalheads trying to pass history class. But through fast times and plentiful laughs, the trilogy’s deepest strength remains in the fact that the future is uncertain and it is up to the coming generations to write it. From their hijinks in the ‘90s classics to their middle-aged reality in the final outing, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winters bring utter joy and lightness to this excellent buddy comedy.
Austin Powers
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
June 13, 2025
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
August 01, 2025
Austin Powers in Goldmember
August 22, 2025
International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers is a parody of James Bond, created by Mike Myers.Austin Powers: International Man of Mysterysaw immediate success upon its release. Not only praised as a parody, theAustin Powersfranchise has createdsome of the best comedy villains, many of which are also played by Mike Myers himself including Fat Bastard, Goldmember, and the infamous Dr. Evil.
Related:5 Best Movie Trilogies That We Couldn’t Live Without
The series’ success can be attributed to successfully making sequels, maintaining the charm of the original while introducing new characters and content that improves upon the originals. The first Austin Powers was a cult hit and exploded into popularity, so by the time the sequelThe Spy Who Shagged Mecame out it was one of the biggest movies of 1999 and grossed more in it’s opening weekend then the first film did in its entire run. The franchise became so iconic and high profile they were anticipated the way any big blockbuster franchise would, and even began to eclipse James Bond. Overall, each sequel maintains the hysterical callbacks to the original with even more great laugh out loud gags. The films are stacked with jokes so if one does not land, don’t worry another one is about five seconds away.
Harold & Kumar
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
August 01, 2025
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
July 25, 2025
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
June 25, 2025
When Harold and Kumar get stoned, they see an ad for White Castle sliders and become determined to get to White Castle to satisfy the craving; little did they know the crazy things they would face along the way, ranging from meeting ahilariously scummy Neil Patrick Harristo a horrifying Southern family.Harold & Kumar Go to White Castlewas followed byHarold and Kumar Escape Guantanamo BayandA Very Harold & Kumar Christmas.
All of these films have seen success as comedies for taking ordinary things, like a simple trip to White Castle and twisting them into crazy circumstances that while plausible, are so ridiculous, you have to laugh at them. Kal Penn and John Cho have this flawless comedic chemistry that grounded even the most ridiculous and outlandish plots. Their authentic friendship not only celebrates weed culture but also pokes fun at the government, through which it balances both satire and comedy. For generating consistent adventures and side-splitting humor, theHarold & Kumar trilogyremains a milestone.
The Naked Gun
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
July 20, 2025
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear
July 23, 2025
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
August 13, 2025
The dazzling Leslie Nielsen stars in crime-spoof comedies inThe Naked Guntrilogy, in which the decorated actor appears as the determined yet clueless police detective Frank Drebin, who bumbles his way through various dangerous cases. In the first installment, the comedian takes on nefarious forces that want to use mind control to turn innocent people into lethal assassins.
The trilogy is jam-packed full of slapstick comedy, sight gags and funny puns, and served as a spinoff to the canceled-too-soon television seriesPolice Squad!;the overwhelming success of the 1988 film led to two more sidesplitting flicks, with a fourth currently in the worksby creator Seth MacFarlane, with Liam Neeson attached to star, who is a genius when it comes to deadpan delivery. Supported by an incredible ensemble, the movie strikes the perfect balance of being suitable for kids but also making pro-police parodies a thing across generations.
Back to The Future
Back to the Future
July 04, 2025
Back to the Future Part II
July 08, 2025
Back to the Future Part III
June 13, 2025
InBack to the Future, Marty goes back in time by accident and winds up finding himself in the middle of how his parents met, threatening his own existence. In order to save himself from disappearing, he must restore the relationship between his parents and make sure they end up together. The series follows Marty,played by Michael J. Foxand his mentor Dr. Emmet Scott or “Doc”, played by Christopher Lloyd, as Doc struggles to perfect time travel and among his exploits, things go astray, leading Doc to eventually end up in the year 1885.
Who didn’t first fall for Doc and Marty’s heartwarming adventures? Their relationship is strange but iconic, and watching them hop access the space-time continuum alone was enough to warrant sequels. The unforgettable pair of leads wereseen as an inspirationfor the grandfather-grandson duo inRick & Morty.But that’s not just what makes them so beloved. Robert Zemeckis masterfully blends more profound themes to the sci-fi premise, reminding us that our fantasies are what make our choices so great while also being a luagh out loud comedy.
Meet the Parents
August 03, 2025
Meet the Fockers
July 17, 2025
Little Fockers
June 22, 2025
Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro go head-to-head in this trilogy — that begins withMeet the Parents— in which Greg Focker meets his girlfriend’s parents for the first time. Little does Greg know that Pam’s father Jack used to be a government agent and has many gadgets, including a lie detector machine, to put Greg to the literal test. The situation is flipped when Pam and her family come to meet Greg’s family inMeet the Fockerswhich features Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand as Greg’s parents.
The franchise endured because of how reletable the situation is. Even if one’s in-laws are not former government agents, the stress of meeting them is certainly on par. The stellar supporting cast spawned some of cinema’s most hilarious moments, making the films achieve a rare status within the genre.Meet the Fockerswas one of the biggest box office hits of 2004 and while the sequel did not capture the world the same way, it is hard not to enjoy this trilogy and see how far the character come.
Pitch Perfect
September 28. 2012
Pitch Perfect 2
June 04, 2025
Pitch Perfect 3
July 16, 2025
When Beca joins a disgraced a cappella group at her university, The Barden Bellas, their skills are put to the test as they struggle to prove themselves worthy at the next competition. Featuring big names like Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson, thePitch Perfectfranchise is considered to be one of the best comedy franchises with a mainly women focus. Women are often forgotten in comedy andPitch Perfectis a wonderful portrayal of women in comedy.
Part fish-out-of-water comedy, part competitive spectacle,Pitch Perfectalso dabbles in themes of inclusivity and empowerment. The original film became famous for “The Cup Song,” which later became a ‘challenge’ that most people were doing in which they hit a cup while singing. Following which, a sequel (and then another) was imminent. Their sky-high riffs and fascinating melodies reverberated through our lives andPitch Perfectbecame synonymous with an entire generation.Pitch Perfect 2built on the sucessus of the first film, and in fact made more in it’s opening weekend then the previous film did in it’s domestic run (a record it shares withAustin Powers and the Spy Who Shagged Me). Even if there was an audience drop off by the time the third film hit, this is a franchise that has become part of the pop culture lexicon.
Related:Every Movie About Women Friendships That We Can’t Live Without
Three Flavours Cornetto
Shaun of the Dead
July 25, 2025
July 11, 2025
The World’s End
June 22, 2025
Edgar Wright’s hilariousanthology seriesThree Flavours Cornettostars the brilliant Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and consists of three uproarious comedies featuring the British funnymen:Shaun of the Dead, Hot FuzzandThe World’s End. In the first installment of the trilogy, the duo find themselves caught in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and must fight against the undead. InHot Fuzz,Pegg and Frost portray two police officers in pursuit of a dangerous killer in a small rural town. Finally, the series concludes withThe World’s End,with the comedians appearing as life-long pals who reunite for a pub crawl, only to discover their hometown is under attack by aliens.
Though the trilogy does not share any characters or storylines, the three films are connected by a series of themes and recurring actors (the most obvious being Simon Pegg and Nick Frost). Each installment is jam-packed full of bright satire on Britian, charming performances and laugh out loud humor. Wright regarded each of the films as a “Trojan Horse,“describing that they are"genre films that have a relationship comedy smuggled inside a zombie movie, a cop movie and a sci-fi movie.” The series was a critical and commercial hit, and have developed a passionate fan-following since their release.
June 22, 2025
Rush Hour 2
August 20, 2025
Rush Hour 3
July 04, 2025
Following detectives Lee and Carter, who have very different styles of work, theRush Hourfranchise wraps up many things within the films. It includes the buddy-cop genre, comedy, and even martial arts as Jackie Chan shows off his skills. The trilogy kicks off when the pair are assigned to rescue a Chinese diplomat’s abducted daughter. The duo meets with a variety of trials and tribulations from disagreeing on small things to fighting the main bad guys in a dangerous location,Rush Hourcovers it all.
Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan were pure delights as opposites whose banter masked care and brotherhood. Between their verbal jabs, they showcased the kind of slick action and thrills that warranted further sequels. From their fist fights in Vegas to exciting takedowns in Hong Kong, every set piece only brought their talents to the surface. That said, it should be mentioned that many old jokes were reused in the originalRush Hourfrom many of Chan’s old films, but were made to suit Western audiences.
