There have been plenty of films adapted from beloved television shows, but you wouldn't think a series that ran for six episodes--with only four being aired--would inspire a hit movie.
That's what happened with 1988's The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!," which was based on Police Squad!, a failed police spoof that ran on ABC from March 4 to July 8, 1982.
Police Squad! was a mega-flop, but The Naked Gun, with Leslie Nielsen reprising his TV role as police lieutenant Frank Drebin became a box-office smash and a critical success.
'A badge of honor'
Despite the abject failure of Police Squad!, the series' three creators--David and Jerry Zucker and their longtime buddy Jim Abrahams--were undeterred. After all, this is the same trio that came up with the 1980 comedy smash Airplane!, so there was some proof of concept.
“I refer to it as a failed TV show, but in a way, it’s a backhanded compliment,” said Robert Weiss, who produced both the series and the movie, to the Los Angeles Times in 1988.
“This is the best revenge a failed TV show could have: a loyal following that persists over six years. This is just desserts for us, to be able to do a movie of it,” Weiss added.
The Naked Gun, which was equipped with a $14.5 million budget, made that back greater than tenfold at the box office, pulling in a reported $152.4 million. It also drew positive critical reviews, and spawned three sequels.
The best comedy movie of all time?
That's what Variety argued in 2025 when it ranked The Naked Gun ahead atop its list of The 100 Best Comedy Movies of All Time.
"The glory of “The Naked Gun” is that it’s a shamelessly uninhibited, anarchically observational drive-by comedy that will make fun of anything: global autocrats, stodgy film noir dialogue, safe sex, a professional baseball game, food left in the refrigerator for too long," Variety wrote. "The entire movie is staged with a bombs-away joy, a sense of exaggeration so clever it’s nearly diabolical."
The outlet also offered high praise for Nielsen, who portrayed Drebin "as if he were channeling Jack Webb, Ronald Reagan and Moe Howard at the same time."
"He’s not trying to be outrageous; the inanity, and insanity, and calamity just drip right off him," Variety said. "In Frank, the destruction of all social norms, not to mention a fair amount of property, mingles with a fearlessly inept bravura."
If you want to watch The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, it is currently available for free on Pluto TV. You can also watch it as a subscriber on YouTube and Paramount+ and as a subscribers with an add-on on fuboTV, Hulu, Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube TV.
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