The Best Man Movies in Order: Including The Final Chapters
The Best Man franchise, created by Malcolm D. Lee, started way back in 1999. Now, a series premiered on Peacock called The Best Man: The Final Chapters, seemingly ending the franchise that became a pop-cultural classic over the years.
If you’ve never watched The Best Man movies or the Peacock show, you came to the right place to learn more about the series. Here’s everything you need to know about one of the coolest comedy franchises ever, including how many movies there are, how to watch them in order, and more.
How many The Best Man movies are there?
There are two The Best Man movies in the franchise – The Best Man (1999) and The Best Man Holiday (2013). There was a third movie reportedly in the making called The Best Man Wedding, but it was never released. Instead, Peacock released a limited series called The Best Man: The Final Chapters on December 22, 2022.
The Best Man movies in order (at a glance)
As mentioned, there are two The Best Man movies out, with a 14-year gap between their releases and a limited 8-episode Peacock Original series, released in 2022. They are as follows:
- The Best Man (1999)
- The Best Man Holiday (2013)
- The Best Man: The Final Chapters (2022)
There was supposed to be a third movie instead of the series, titled The Best Man Wedding. It even had a potential poster (you can find one online, at least), but the creator, Malcolm D. Lee, opted for a limited series instead.
Are The Best Man movies connected?
All movies in The Best Man series (including the TV show) are connected to one another. Every sequel follows the prior movie’s story chronologically, without prequels or spin-offs (so far, at least). The main cast also remains the same, portraying the same characters.
Do you need to watch The Best Man movies in a specific order?
As I’ve mentioned, the main cast and characters remain the same, and the story continues from one movie to the other and then to the series. Therefore, you should watch The Best Man franchise in its release order. That being said, there’s a big gap between the films and then between the second film and the new Peacock series.
What is the best way to watch The Best Man movies?
Due to the fact that the stories of each entry into the franchise are connected, the best way to watch The Best Man series is by release order. That way, you’ll get to know the characters the best and follow the plot in the easiest way possible, not missing out on any references, important details, etc.
However, due to the large gap between every installment of the franchise, each entry can be watched separately as well, without going in any particular order. You’ll miss some details that way, perhaps, but still, be able to understand the plot(s).
The Best Man movies (by release date)
The Best Man (1999)
IMDb rating: 6.7/10
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Synopsis: The story mainly follows Harper, a writer whose autobiography is just about the get published. He’s the best man at his friend Lance’s wedding – a pro athlete who’s marrying a girl he cheated on multiple times.
Little did he know that, to exact revenge on him, his wife-to-be once slept with his best friend, Harper – which is all detailed in the upcoming novel. Meanwhile, Harper’s girlfriend is coming to the wedding, too, while a former lover of his tries to rekindle the flame between them, even if it’s just for one night.
Will Lance find out about the contents of the book before Harper gets out of there? Will Harper lose Robin because of his former lover, Jordan? Find out in this hilarious, pop-cultural classic comedy starring Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Melissa De Sousa, Regina Hall, and others.
The Best Man Holiday (2013)
IMDb rating: 6.6/10
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Synopsis: After 14 years of living their own lives, the gang reunites to celebrate Christmas together at Mia and Lance’s place. Everything starts smoothly, but things quickly become heated as old romances, beefs, and problems resurface.
To add to it, Harper is struggling with writer’s block and financial issues after expensive fertility treatments. His wife, Robin, finally got pregnant, but he keeps the financial issues a secret from her – along with the fact that he no longer works at NYU.
His publisher suggests writing a biography on Lance, a retiring professional football player, and Harper keeps it a secret yet again…
The Best Man: The Final Chapters (2022)
IMDb rating: 7.2/10
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: Instead of a third movie, we got a whole new, 8-episode limited series, giving Malcolm D. Lee a lot more room to flesh out and finish the story. This time, it’s a lot more of a drama and less of a comedy, but the show still has some hilarious moments throughout.
Almost ten more years have passed, and the gang already has older kids. Old relationships and past regrets catch up on the gang as a midlife crisis hits some of them, while others are greeted with a midlife rejuvenation. The story of The Best Man ends for good.
Where to watch The Best Man movies?
The new series, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, is streaming now exclusively on Peacock. You can find the two movies there as well. If you don’t have Peacock, or if it’s unavailable in your country, you can find the two movies on NBC or buy/rent them on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, and Vudu.
Will there be more The Best Man movies?
Unfortunately, there will be no more The Best Man movies – at least not with the same cast and crew. In an interview with Today, the creator of the show, Malcolm D. Lee, said:
“I closed the books. We don’t have any other story to tell; at least, I don’t.”
As for the cast, he added:
“We’ve told the story and it feels like there’s other stories to tell. At this point, I think these actors have done, and admired, these characters really well and they have other stories to tell. I have other stories to tell.”
A tiny glimpse of hope for fans came when they asked him if there could be a spin-off on the franchise, potentially about the main gang’s kids. Lee said it could happen in the future, but not under his creative mind.
