One detective, three separate cases
The release order is Knives Out (2019), Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025). We recommend that sequence if you want to meet Benoit Blanc from his introduction. The investigations themselves are separate: you do not need the identity of one film’s culprit to understand the next case.
Daniel Craig plays Blanc, with Rian Johnson writing and directing these three films. Their connection is the detective, rather than one murder split into three instalments. That distinction makes this a flexible collection: you can choose one film for an evening without first completing television seasons or sorting out parallel storylines.
Knives Out introduces Blanc in 2019
The first film brings Blanc into a mystery surrounding a writer’s death and his family. As a starting point, it offers an introduction within its own investigation. There is no earlier film case that newcomers are expected to track down before watching it.
Use the title and year together when searching a catalogue: Knives Out, 2019. If you want to follow the films from the beginning, this is the appropriate first session. Avoid preparing by reading an explanation of its decisive scenes. Knowing that the story centres on a family mystery is enough to make a choice; knowing how its evidence fits together would remove much of the reason to watch.
Glass Onion moves to a new setting
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is the second film, released in 2022. It takes Blanc to a Greek-island setting and a gathering associated with a technology billionaire. This is a new circle of people and a new investigation, rather than the next stage of the first film’s family case.
Watch it after Knives Out to preserve release order, or start here if the premise is what draws you in. There is no missing episode explaining how one investigation turns into the other. The phrase A Knives Out Mystery identifies the collection; it does not mean that you must solve the previous film’s puzzle before the new one makes sense.
Wake Up Dead Man is a 2025 release
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is the third film in this route. Its Netflix release was December 12, 2025. At this guide’s October 2026 review, it is an already released film, not an upcoming title merely because an older announcement still uses future tense. The date refers to a film launch, not another season of a detective series.
This case places Blanc around a religious community and a crime involving his collaboration with a young priest. The setting changes again without making the earlier solutions required knowledge. The premise is sufficient for deciding whether to watch; descriptions of hidden identities, eliminated suspects or the final explanation are unnecessary preparation.
Choose release order or a single evening
For the whole collection, use 2019 → 2022 → 2025. It keeps the introduction to the recurring detective intact and prevents a service’s newest-title banner from determining your starting point. This is our presentation recommendation, not a requirement created by an unresolved police investigation running across three films.
For one evening, choose the setting that interests you: a family and its wealth in Knives Out, a technology-world gathering in Glass Onion, or a religious community in Wake Up Dead Man. Those are differences in premise, not ratings or a promise that the films have identical tones. A standalone choice does not need to become an obligation to finish all three immediately.
Make a three-session plan without spoiling the cases
Allocate one film to each session and record progress by completed case. Avoid ending-explanation thumbnails and character-name searches if you want to preserve the mysteries. Even a ranking with a short description below each position can reveal more than you need to select a film.
Before renting or subscribing, check the complete title and year in your country. The association of Glass Onion and Wake Up Dead Man with Netflix does not by itself guarantee that Knives Out is included in the same subscription or that every territory has an identical catalogue. Confirm each listing and its access terms. Keeping the viewing order separate from availability helps prevent duplicate purchases and confusion caused by translated titles or different cover designs.
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