10 Best Comedy Franchises, Ranked

There are many great comedy franchises that have stood the test of time, but some stand out as the best. It’s not easy to make a good comedy movie, and it’s even harder to turn it into a successful franchise. Comedies can become problematic or lose their charm over time, especially if their stories are dragged out for too long. However, many comedy franchises find a balance and create incredible movies.

The best comedy movies are able to make audiences laugh long after they are first released. Actors like Will Ferrell and Tina Fey have made their careers starring in and creating successful comedies such as these. While there are some movies that haven’t aged well, there are still a lot of comedy franchises that remain enjoyable today, cementing them as the best of the best.

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10 Legally Blonde

Number Of Movies: 2

The Legally Blonde movies follow Elle Woods, a sorority girl who decides to go to Harvard Law School in order to win back her boyfriend. The first movie is heartwarming, as the audience watches Elle find herself at Harvard and begin her journey to becoming a successful lawyer. Viewers see the career spawned by that journey in the second film, Legally Blonde: Red, White, and Blonde.

Legally Blonde is an iconic film, and scenes like the Bend and Snap and Elle’s confrontation with Warner have become some of Legally Blonde‘s most empowering and quotable moments. Elle’s journey from fashion major to fashionable lawyer is inspiring for anyone who feels confined to stereotypes. Although the more comedic aspects of the movie are often overshadowed by the romance and drama, it’s still good for a wholesome laugh. That element, however, prevents it from ranking higher among the top comedy franchises.

9 Beverly Hills Cop

Number Of Movies: 3

Eddie Murphy stars as Axel Foley, the titular cop in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise. Foley is a police officer from Detroit, whose escapades continuously lead him back to Beverly Hills with detectives Rosewood and Taggart from the first movie. Although the ratings of the films do decline as they go on, with the third installment receiving an 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, the early installments still make this franchise one of the best.

Beverly Hills Cop perfectly balances humor with suspense. Murphy puts on an excellent performance as the wise-cracking and charismatic Foley, with Judge Reinhold and John Ashton acting as the perfect foils of Rosewood and Taggart. Foley’s habit of going into situations with little more than his fast-talking nature creates some excellent scenes, such as his invasion of Maitland’s warehouse in the first Beverly Hills Cop movie. If the franchise didn’t lose steam over time, it would rank even higher.

8 Pink Panther

Number Of Movies: 11

The Pink Panther franchise follows a fairly inept French detective named Jacques Clouseau as he solves a variety of mysteries. The first film was released in 1963, with Peter Sellers playing Clouseau, a role he would reprise six more times until his death in 1980. Steve Martin took over the role when the reboot was released in 2006.

Even though some of the later films didn’t live up to expectations, there’s no denying that the Pink Panther franchise contains brilliant comedy. Clouseau’s arrest at the end of The Pink Panther and the multiple attempts on his life by his outraged supervisor in A Shot in the Dark are just a few of the classic moments from the Pink Panther franchise. The bumbling antics of Clouseau and the movies’ outrageous plots ensure that the franchise will remain a classic.

7 Father of the Bride

Number Of Movies: 6

The Father of the Bride franchise began in 1950. The story is based on the novel of the same name by Edward Streeter, which depicts the wedding of a young woman through the eyes of her overprotective but loving father. The original series only had two films, with the sequel, Father’s Little Dividend, following the titular father’s reaction to his daughter’s pregnancy.

The series was rebooted once in the 1990s with Steve Martin and once again in 2022 with Andy García. The franchise is equal parts heartwarming and hysterical, as the father creates many comedic scenarios while trying to cope with the fact that his daughter is getting older. The midlife crisis scenes in the second movie, in particular, give rise to some hilarious moments — though some of the jokes can feel a bit outdated.

6 Rush Hour

Number Of Movies: 3

Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan star as Detective James Carter and Chief Inspector Lee, respectively, in the Rush Hour franchise. The duo ends up working together when the daughter of Lee’s friend is kidnapped in Los Angeles, prompting Lee to travel there from Hong Kong. Carter has to look after Lee on orders from the FBI, who don’t want Lee involved in the case.

Tucker and Chan worked so well together that two more movies were made in 2001 and 2007, with a fourth announced in 2022. The duo of Tucker and Chan is so successful because of how different they are. Tucker’s energetic Carter pairs perfectly with Chan’s determined Lee. Even the behind-the-scenes shots are hilarious, as Tucker repeatedly referred to Jackie rather than Lee when saying his lines. Their chemistry elevates this franchise, but it’s not enough to land in the top five best comedy franchises.

5 Naked Gun

Number Of Movies: 3

Originally a TV series that parodied police procedurals, the Naked Gun franchise stars Leslie Nielsen as Detective Frank Drebin. Although the TV show was canceled after six episodes, the subsequent films did well. The Naked Gun franchise is similar to the Pink Panther movies, as Drebin is as bumbling as Clouseau.

The comedy of the Naked Gun films relies mostly on slapstick humor, sight gags, and word play. They also contain a lot of surprising celebrity cameos. In the first movie, members of the MLB made cameos, including Reggie Jackson, who was the villain’s secret assassin. “Weird Al” Yankovic also made cameos as himself in all three movies. While these appearances are exciting and iconic, the humor can sometimes feel repetitive.

4 Coming to America

Number Of Movies: 2

Eddie Murphy stars as Prince Akeem of Zamunda in the Coming to America franchise, alongside Arsenio Hall, who plays Akeem’s best friend, Semmi. The first film follows Akeem and Semmi as they travel to America to find a wife for Akeem. The duo struggles to blend in when they arrive in Queens, and they get entry-level jobs at a McDonald’s knockoff called McDowell’s.

Most of the movie’s comedy comes from the brilliant minds of Murphy and Hall, who portray a variety of characters in Coming To America. The antics they get into while trying to live as ordinary people only serve to make them more absurd. The sequel came out in 2021, over 30 years after the original. It kept the charm of the original film and even brought back Murphy and Hall’s alternate characters. It proved the franchise still had it, placing it among the top four.

3 The Muppets

Number Of Movies: 8

Created by Jim Henson in 1955, The Muppets franchise includes TV series, movies, discography, and even video games. The first film was released in 1979, three years after the immensely popular The Muppet Show first aired. Even after The Muppet Show ended, the Muppet movies continued the Muppets’ role as cultural and comedy icons throughout their various other works.

Characters like Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and Gonzo the Great have become household names due to the success of the franchise. The Muppets utilize a style of self-referential humor and will often break the fourth wall by acknowledging that they are in a movie. The Muppets movies have become classics, and the characters are household names. That’s why this franchise lands in the top three comedy offerings, but there are two that are even funnier.

2 Austin Powers

Number Of Movies: 3

Starring Mike Myers as the titular spy, the Austin Powers franchise parodies popular spy stories of the 1960s and 1970s, like the James Bonds franchise. The humor of Austin Powers relies on slapstick and word play, usually with a sexual undertone. One of the best gags in Austin Powers is the number of characters Mike Myers plays. His brand of over-the-top comedy works perfectly in the self-aware franchise.

The plots of each of the three movies are nonsensical, with the deeds planned by Dr. Evil becoming more and more ridiculous. The franchise pokes fun at the stereotypes often seen in old spy films, such as the irresistible male lead and the woman whose sole purpose is to be the love interest. Spy films are still very popular today, so the self-aware jokes of Austin Powers continue to be relevant. This franchise is considered a classic and for good reason: it’s almost the best comedy franchise out there.

1 Vacation

Number Of Movies: 6

The Vacation franchise, sometimes referred to as National Lampoon’s, is a series of films surrounding the Griswold family. Part of the genius of the Vacation franchise is that it turns the trope of the average American family on its head. Clark, Ellen, Audrey, and Rusty Griswold should portray the perfect family, yet they are hysterically dysfunctional. The franchise only increases this dysfunction throughout the later films.

The humor of the Vacation franchise is executed by the family. The first Vacation movie starts out as a road trip to the Wally World amusement park and ends with a security guard, played by John Candy, being taken hostage by Clark. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation contains many iconic scenes, like Clark electrocuting himself with Christmas lights, and introduces the quotable Cousin Eddie.