Movies like The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
The best movies like The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) are Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) and A Shot in the Dark (1964). If The Return of the Pink Panther hooked you with its comedy and crime, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSleuth (1972)7.7/10 from 761 votes
- NewestThe Naked Gun (2025)Released 2025
- Same seriesCurse of the Pink Panther (1983)The Pink Panther (Original)
Curse of the Pink Panther (1983)
Inspector Clouseau disappears, and the Surete wants the world's second best detective to look for him. However, Clouseau's enemy, Dreyfus, rigs the Surete's computer to select, instead, the world's WORST detective, NYPD Sgt. Clifton Sleigh. Sleigh obtusely bungles his way past assassins and corrupt officials as though he were Clouseau's American cousin.
Why it matches: Same series: The Pink Panther (Original) · both comedy & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisTrail of the Pink Panther (1982)
The Pink Panther diamond is stolen once again from Lugash and the authorities call in Chief Inspector Clouseau from France. His plane disappears en-route. This time, famous French TV reporter Marie Jouvet sets out to solve the mystery and starts to interview everybody connected to Clouseau.
Why it matches: Same series: The Pink Panther (Original) · both comedy & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisA Shot in the Dark (1964)
Inspector Jacques Clouseau, smitten with the accused maid Maria Gambrelli, unwittingly turns a straightforward murder investigation into a comedic series of mishaps, testing the patience of his irritable boss Charles Dreyfus as casualties mount.
Why it matches: Same series: The Pink Panther (Original) · both comedy & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRevenge of the Pink Panther (1978)
Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau is dead. At least that is what the world—and Charles Dreyfus—believe when a dead body is discovered in Clouseau's car after being shot off the road. Naturally, Clouseau knows differently and, taking advantage of not being alive, sets out to discover why an attempt was made on his life.
Why it matches: Same series: The Pink Panther (Original) · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Pink Panther (1963)
The trademark of The Phantom, a renowned jewel thief, is a glove left at the scene of the crime. Inspector Clouseau, an expert on The Phantom's exploits, feels sure that he knows where The Phantom will strike next and leaves Paris for the Tyrolean Alps, where the famous Lugashi jewel 'The Pink Panther' is going to be. However, he does not know who The Phantom really is, or for that matter who anyone else really is...
Why it matches: Same series: The Pink Panther (Original) · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
Charles Dreyfus, who has finally cracked over inspector Clouseau's antics, escapes from a mental institution and launches an elaborate plan to get rid of Clouseau once and for all.
Why it matches: Same series: The Pink Panther (Original) · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Pink Panther (2006)
When the coach of the France football team is killed by a poisoned dart in the stadium at the end of a game, and his huge, expensive ring with the Pink Panther diamond disappears, the ambitious Chief Inspector Dreyfus assigns the worst police inspector – Jacques Clouseau – to the case.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisInspector Clouseau (1968)
Detective Inspector Jacques Clouseau is borrowed from the Surete on special assignment for Scotland Yard in hopes that a fresh outlook will help the government recover the loot from the Great Train Robbery, which is being used to underwrite a new crime wave. What they don't count on, however, is having more than one Clouseau on the job.
Why it matches: Same series: The Pink Panther (Original) · both comedy & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisMurder by Death (1976)
Lionel Twain invites the world's five greatest detectives to a 'dinner and murder'. Included are a blind butler, a deaf-mute maid, screams, spinning rooms, secret passages, false identities and more plot turns and twists than are decently allowed.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSleuth (1972)
A man who loves games and theatre invites his wife's lover to meet, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both mystery & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFather Brown (1954)
Works of art are disappearing, stolen by a master thief, a master of disguise. Father Brown has two goals: to catch the thief and to save his soul.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & mystery
The Pink Panther 2 (2009)
When legendary treasures from around the world are stolen, including the priceless Pink Panther Diamond, Chief Inspector Dreyfus is forced to assign Inspector Clouseau to a team of international detectives and experts charged with catching the thief and retrieving the stolen artifacts.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Cheap Detective (1978)
A spoof of the entire 1940s detective genre. San Francisco private detective, Lou Pekinpaugh is accused of murdering his partner at the instigation of his mistress—his partner's wife.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Italian Job (1969)
Charlie's got a 'job' to do. Having just left prison he finds one of his friends has attempted a high-risk job in Torino, Italy, right under the nose of the mafia. Charlie's friend doesn't get very far, so Charlie takes over the 'job'. Using three Mini Coopers, a couple of Jaguars, and a bus, he hopes to bring Torino to a standstill, steal a fortune in gold and escape in the chaos.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Naked Gun (2025)
Only one man has the particular set of skills... to lead Police Squad and save the world: Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. Following in his father's footsteps, he must solve a murder case to prevent Police Squad from closure.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are 'The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta'.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980)
Fu Manchu's 168th birthday celebration is dampened when a hapless flunky spills Fu's age-regressing elixir vitae. Fu sends his lackeys to round up ingredients for a new batch of elixir, starting with the Star of Leningrad diamond, nabbed from a Soviet exhibition in Washington. The FBI sends agents Capone and Williams to England to confer with Nayland Smith, an expert on Fu.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisOnce Upon a Crime (1992)
On their way to Monte Carlo, Monaco, Marilyn and her husband, Neil, meet several other married couples, including Julian and Phoebe, who are traveling with a lost dog they plan to return to its wealthy owner for a large reward. But, when the dog's mistress is murdered, the travelers become the prime suspects, and Inspector Bonnard is determined to track them all down.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Great Muppet Caper (1981)
Kermit and Fozzie are newspaper reporters sent to London to interview Lady Holiday, a wealthy fashion designer whose priceless diamond necklace is stolen. Kermit meets and falls in love with her secretary, Miss Piggy. The jewel thieves strike again, and this time frame Miss Piggy. It's up to Kermit and the rest of the Muppets to bring the real culprits to justice.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCharade (1963)
After Regina Lampert falls for the dashing Peter Joshua on a skiing holiday in the French Alps, she discovers upon her return to Paris that her husband has been murdered. Soon, she and Peter are giving chase to three of her late husband's World War II cronies, Tex, Scobie and Gideon, who are after a quarter of a million dollars the quartet stole while behind enemy lines.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
When the bumbling Lieutenant Frank Drebin investigates events following the shooting of his partner, he stumbles upon an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It (1977)
John Cleese is hilarious as the descendant of Sherlock Holmes in this modern detective drama of international power politics and intrigue. Unlike his illustrious grandfather however, he only succeeds in bungling every job he organizes. Also stars Arthur Lowe as the "bionic" grandson of Dr. Watson, Stratford Johns as the Commissioner of Police, and Connie Booth as Mrs. Hudson.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & crime
Confess, Fletch (2022)
The roguishly charming and endlessly troublesome Fletch becomes the prime suspect in a murder case while searching for a stolen art collection. The only way to prove his innocence? Find out which of the long list of suspects is the culprit - from the eccentric art dealer and a missing playboy to a crazy neighbor and Fletch’s Italian girlfriend. Crime, in fact, has never been this disorganized.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRadioland Murders (1994)
A series of mysterious crimes threatens the existence of a new radio network.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1972)
A hapless orchestra player becomes an unwitting pawn of rival factions within the French secret service after he is chosen as a decoy by being identified as a super secret agent.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSee How They Run (2022)
In the West End of 1950s London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered. When world-weary Inspector Stoppard and eager rookie Constable Stalker take on the case, the two find themselves thrown into a puzzling whodunit within the glamorously sordid theater underground, investigating the mysterious homicide at their own peril.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both mystery & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisClue (1985)
Clue finds six colorful dinner guests gathered at the mansion of their host, Mr. Boddy -- who turns up dead after his secret is exposed: He was blackmailing all of them. With the killer among them, the guests and Boddy's chatty butler must suss out the culprit before the body count rises.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFantomas Unleashed (1965)
In the second episode of the trilogy Fantômas kidnaps distinguished scientist professor Marchand with the aim to develop a super weapon that will enable him to menace the world. Fantômas is also planning to abduct a second scientist, professor Lefebvre.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Late Show (1977)
An over-the-hill gumshoe in Los Angeles seeks to avenge the killing of an old pal, another detective who was involved in a case concerning a murdered broad, stolen stamps, a nickel-plated handgun, a cheating dolly, and a kidnapped pussycat.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMurder Mystery 2 (2023)
After starting their own detective agency, Nick and Audrey Spitz land a career-making case when their billionaire pal is kidnapped from his wedding.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Return of the Pink Panther?
The closest matches to The Return of the Pink Panther are Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) and A Shot in the Dark (1964). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Return of the Pink Panther?
People who watched The Return of the Pink Panther most often go on to The Pink Panther (2006), Murder by Death (1976) and Sleuth (1972).
What is the highest-rated movie like The Return of the Pink Panther?
Sleuth (1972), rated 7.7/10 by 761 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Return of the Pink Panther?
The Naked Gun (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Is The Return of the Pink Panther part of a series?
Yes. It belongs to The Pink Panther (Original), which includes Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), Trail of the Pink Panther (1982), A Shot in the Dark (1964) and Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978).
Are there English movies like The Return of the Pink Panther?
Yes: Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) and A Shot in the Dark (1964).
How are movies similar to The Return of the Pink Panther chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Return of the Pink Panther, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.