15 Essential Movie Series Every Film Fan Must See
- - 15 Essential Movie Series Every Film Fan Must See
Adrienne GaffneyDecember 31, 2025 at 9:15 AM
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15 Must-See Movies Series Getty + Design Leah Romero
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The coldest months of the year, when it can feel like there’s nothing to do, are a wonderful time to revisit classic movies. What can be even more fulfilling, though, is delving into film series that fills up a day, weekend, or even a full week. Sagas like the Star Wars, James Bond, and Rocky epics span decades and are all part of the American film canon. But not all of the best series are throwbacks. Knives Out and Paddington are newer trilogies that are just as essential.
For romance, look to the Bridget Jones or the Before Sunrise movies, and for thrills, try Ocean’s Eleven. If you’re eagerly awaiting the May release of The Mandalorian & Grogu, the latest Star Wars installment, or Toy Story 5, coming out in June, take this opportunity to revisit the earlier installments of both franchises. Read on for more of the best film series.
The Godfather
There’s perhaps no greater film trilogy—or one more fervently debated. The first movie is truly great, as is the second, and while the third isn’t quite as strong as its predecessors. Still, watching them all is a must-do, if not for completing the story, then for seeing a young Sofia Coppola making her film debut.
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Rocky
You could spend days watching all the Rocky movies—the 1976 original was followed by five sequels. And in 2015, Ryan Coogler launched a spin-off series starring Michael B. Jordan as Donnie Creed, the son of Rocky’s antagonist Apollo Creed. The Creed films, which also star Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad, are some of the most celebrated recent sequel spinoffs and take the Rocky franchise into its sixth decade.
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Knives Out
Wake Up Dead Man is the most recent installment of the Knives Out series and one of the strongest. Together, Rian Johnson’s three films offer both superb plots and appearances by some of the best actors around, including Christopher Plummer, LaKeith Stanfield, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ed Norton, Kate Hudson, Josh O’Connor, Kerry Washington, and Glenn Close.
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Bridget Jones’s Diary
In 2025, we got Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, the first installment in the now four-film series in nine years. Mad About the Boy, which shows Bridget as a widowed mother, is sadder than the first three but retains the wit and heart that make the series so special. It also adds Leo Woodall and Nico Parker to the cast.
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Paddington
The Paddington films are a franchise for moviegoers who might feel underserved by other superhero-heavy blockbusters. The cuteness of little Paddington with his toggle coat and marmalade sandwiches is the obvious draw, but the movies are also funny and well-written with superb performances.
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Toy Story
Some series fall off after the first film or two, but Toy Story 3, which was released 10 years after Toy Story 2, was the third animated film to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and is widely considered to be one of the best animated movies of all time. All the Toy Stories have been hits, and with Toy Story 5 coming out in June, it’s a great time to do a rewatch.
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Star Wars
There are few among us who haven’t seen a single Star Wars, but have you seen them all? There are an intimidating 12 live-action films across three trilogies, plus an additional three standalone movies. In 2026, The Mandalorian & Grogu, which stars Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, and Sigourney Weaver, will join the list, followed by the Mia Goth and Ryan Gosling-led Starfighter in 2027.
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James Bond
Seven actors have played 007, each putting their own spin on the debonair and witty spy. Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan are considered some of the best, alongside Daniel Craig, the most recent Bond. Bets are being made for who will succeed Craig in the role, with Callum Turner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jacob Elordi, Josh O’Connor, and Harris Dickinson all on the list.
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Harry Potter
It seems like only yesterday that Daniel Radcliffe was a bespectacled boy wizard and Emma Watson was at the top of the class. Much has happened since Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone came out in 2001 and made superstars out of its young leads, but all eight movies, which came out over a 10-year period, are worth watching once or more. Especially before the TV reboot premieres.
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The Lord of the Rings
There are only three Lord of the Rings films, but each is a big undertaking. The Return of the King runs a whopping three hours and 21 minutes, while even the relatively lean Fellowship of the Ring is just short of three hours. And if you want to get a PhD in LOTR, each film has an extended edition that can take the total viewing time to nearly 12 hours.
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Ocean’s Eleven
The original Ocean’s 11 starred Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Dean Martin, and Joey Bishop, along with Angie Dickinson. Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 remake changed a few details. While 11 was about a group of Army veterans who attempted simultaneous robberies across five casinos in Las Vegas, Eleven featured a cobbled-together group that targeted three casinos. Ocean’s Twelve and Thirteen followed a similar formula, while 2018’s Ocean’s Eight swapped genders with a cast that included Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, and Rihanna.
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Before Sunrise
Before Sunrise, Richard Linklater’s fourth film, didn’t seem like a movie that would kick off a trilogy. But 2004’s Before Sunset characters Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) reunited years after their romantic meeting on a European train. Another nine years later, we meet Jesse and Céline again in Before Midnight. If you want a series with film-festival pedigree, look no further.
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Neighbors
Long before Platonic, Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen demonstrated their considerable cinematic chemistry. In Neighbors, the couple are parents of a baby battling a wild nearby fraternity led by Zac Efron. In Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, the couple team up with Efron to outwit a rowdy sorority led by Chloë Grace Moretz. I’m holding out hope for a third film, but in the meantime there’s Neighbors 3: Zombies Rising, a short film starring Rogen and Efron released to promote Neighbors 2.
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Indiana Jones
Harrison Ford and George Lucas began their collaboration with Star Wars and reunited for Indiana Jones, which Lucas created and Steven Spielberg directed. Indiana Jones was introduced in Raiders of the Lost Ark, which was followed by five films, the final being 2023’s The Dial of Destiny, directed by A Complete Unknown’s James Mangold. Ford is at his best here, and it’s a classic for good reason.
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Die Hard
The persistence of the question, “Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?” (Does it matter?) proves just how large a role the series represents in American culture. It made Bruce Willis a movie star and is considered one of the greatest action films of all time. Start with the 1988 original and follow character John McClane’s heroics across four later movies.
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