You don’t have to watch the Knives Out movies in order; each film is its own standalone mystery with a new cast and case, connected mainly by Daniel Craig’s detective Benoit Blanc.

Basic watch order

If you want to follow release/chronological order, it’s simply:

  1. Knives Out (2019) – Classic country mansion whodunit with a rich, dysfunctional family.
  1. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) – Flashier Greek-island mystery with a tech billionaire and his friends.
  1. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) – A newer case, set later in Benoit Blanc’s timeline.

You can jump in at any of these and still understand the plot just fine.

Do you miss anything if you skip?

  • You won’t miss ongoing story threads, because the movies are designed as separate cases, like Agatha Christie–style mysteries.
  • You might miss:
    • How Blanc’s personality and style evolve across the trilogy.
* Some tonal progression: gothic mansion → sunny island satire → darker religious-tinged mystery.

Best way to watch (practical advice)

  • If you like seeing a filmmaker’s style grow and genre jokes build, watch in release order: Knives Out → Glass Onion → Wake Up Dead Man.
  • If you only have time for one:
    • Want cozy, classic whodunit vibes? Start with Knives Out.
* Want bigger, showier satire and twists? Try **Glass Onion**.

You can treat the series like a set of mystery novels: same detective, totally new case each time, no required homework.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.