Summary

• Ghostbusters is a long-lasting franchise with five movies and two TV shows, viewable in release or chronological order.
• Animated shows like The Real Ghostbusters are geared towards all ages and ran for multiple seasons.
• Ghostbusters: Afterlife revives the original timeline with a new story, setting up sequels, including Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.

The first Ghostbusters is a multi-billion dollar multimedia franchise created by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, and it includes five movies and two animated television shows, all of which can be viewed in two different orders — by release date or chronologically. However, not all films and series must be watched to understand what happens in the other movies and shows. Although several important events from certain films and series are referenced in other projects, some can stand alone.

Ghostbusters was an instant success when it premiered in 1984, so it was not surprising when Columbia Pictures ordered a sequel and greenlit an animated television show shortly following the first movie's release. The franchise came to a halting stop following the late 1990s, but in recent years, the series' original timeline has been revived. So, fans will likely have a lot to look forward to, especially if Sony Pictures greenlights Ghostbusters 6 featuring one character taking on a central role. In the meantime, they can rewatch the films and series in either release or chronological order.

Ghostbusters Movies & Shows In Release Order

The Ghostbusters movie series launched in the summer of 1984, with many critics praising Ghostbusters was the second-highest-grossing movie of 1984, and its various accomplishments led to four more films and two animated television series spread out over 40 years. Here is how to watch every Ghostbusters project in order of release date.

Ghostbusters Movies & Shows In Chronological Order Of Events

Ghostbusters (1984)

Box Office: $295.2 million | Runtime: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Cast: Bill Murray as Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz, Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barrett, Harold Ramis as Egon Spengler, Rick Moranis as Louis Tully, Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz, William Atherton as Walter Peck, and Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore

Although the cast and crew didn't know it at the time, Ghostbusters (1984) was the start of a mega-popular franchise that would span decades. The 1984 film featured the initial team-up of the original Ghostbusters team — Venkman, Ray, Spengler, and Winston as a ghost-catching crew in New York City. The group of four took on numerous ghosts and supernatural beings, like Slimer, Zuul, and Gozer in the form of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. As the first project, Ghostbusters (1984) is regarded by many as the best movie in the franchise.

The Real Ghostbusters

Seasons: 7 | Episodes: 140

Cast: Lorenzo Music as Peter Venkman (seasons 1-2), Dave Coulier as Peter Venkman (seasons 3-7), Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengler, Frank Welker as Ray Stantz, Slimer, and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, Arsenio Hall as Winston Zeddemore (seasons 1-3), Buster Jones as Winston Zeddemore (seasons 4-7), Laura Summer as Janine Melnitz (seasons 1-2), Kath Soucie as Janine Melnitz (seasons 3-7), Rodger Bum as Louis Tully, Charlie Adler as Rafael, Jeff Altman as Professor Norman Dweeb, and Fay DeWitt as Mrs. Van Huego

Before a sequel to the first film could premiere, Columbia Pictures Television and DIC Entertainment released a spinoff television show called The Real Ghostbusters. The animated series aired for seven seasons on ABC and continued the adventures of Venkman, Ray, Spengler, and Winston. The Real Ghostbusters also brought back the group's secretary from the movie, Janine Melnitz, but the original cast did not provide the voices for their characters in the show.

Ghostbusters II

Box Office: $215.4 million | Runtime: 1 hour, 48 minutes

Cast: Bill Murray as Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz, Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barrett, Harold Ramis as Egon Spengler, Rick Moranis as Louis Tully, Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore, Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz, Peter MacNicol as Janosz Poha, Kurt Fuller as Jack Hardemeyer, David Margulies as Mayor Lenny Clotch, Harris Yulin as Judge Stephen Wexler, Janet Margolin as the Prosecutor, and William T. Deutschendorf and Hank J. Deutschendorf II as Baby Oscar

Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II, Ghostbusters (2016), and Ghostbusters: Afterlife are available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video.

Bill Murray as Venkman, Dan Aykroyd as Ray, Harold Ramis as Spengler, and Ernie Hudson as Winston reprised their roles in the sequel, Ghostbusters II. The second film was set five years following the events of the first movie and revealed that the ghost-catching crew had gone out of business after being sued for destroying parts of the city during their fight with Gozer. However, they couldn't stay away from one another for too long, and Venkman, Ray, Spengler, and Winston reunited to face a new threat. Ghostbusters II's ending would be the last time fans would see the entire group together, as Ramis died in 2014.

Extreme Ghostbusters

Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 40

Cast: Billy West as Slimer, Rino Romano as Eduardo Rivera, Tara Strong as Kylie Griffin, Alfonso Ribeiro as Roland Jackson, Jason Marsden as Garrett Miller, Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengler, and Pat Musick as Janine Melnitz

The franchise's second animated television series was Extreme Ghostbusters, which served as a spinoff of The Real Ghostbusters. The show was set many years after the events of the first series and revolved around a new group of young Ghostbusters, led by Spengler. Together, the new generation of Ghostbusters hunted down supernatural entities throughout The Real Ghostbusters' 40 episodes.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Box Office: $204.4 million | Runtime: 2 hours, 4 minutes

Cast: Carrie Coon as Callie Spengler, Finn Wolfhard as Trevor Spengler, Mckenna Grace as Phoebe Spengler, Paul Rudd as Gary Grooberson, Logan Kim as Podcast, Celeste O'Connor as Lucky Domingo, Bill Murray as Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz, Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore, Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz, and Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barrett

A third Ghostbusters film had been in development for a long time, and it wasn't until after the failure of the reboot, Ghostbusters (2016), that Sony Pictures decided to revive the franchise's original timeline. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is set 32 years following the events of the 1989 sequel and features Egon Spengler's daughter and grandchildren moving to an Oklahoma farm that they inherited after Spengler's death. Callie, Trevor, and Phoebe run into supernatural problems once they arrive, and they meet people who help them in their new ghost-catching quest. Some original stars, like Sigourney Weaver as Dana, also return in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Box Office: N/A (still in theaters) | Runtime: 1 hour, 55 minutes

Cast: Paul Rudd as Gary Grooberson, Carrie Coon as Callie Spengler, Finn Wolfhard as Trevor Spengler, Mckenna Grace as Phoebe Spengler, Kumail Nanjiani as Nadeem Razmaadi, Patton Oswalt as Dr. Hubert Wartzki, Celeste O'Connor as Lucky Domingo, Logan Kim as Podcast, Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd as Dr. Ray Stantz, Ernie Hudson as Dr. Winston Zeddemore, Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz, William Atherton as Mayor Walter Peck, James Acaster as Lars Pinfield, and Emily Alyn Lind as Melody

The new Ghostbusters team returns in the 2024 film as they face a new supernatural threat that intends to cause a second Ice Age. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire's reviews are much worse than Ghostbusters: Afterlife's.

Ghostbusters (2016)

Box Office: $229.1 million | Runtime: 1 hour, 56 minutes

Cast: Melissa McCarthy as Dr. Abigail L. "Abby" Yates, Kristen Wiig as Dr. Erin Gilbert, Kate McKinnon as Dr. Jillian "Holtz" Holtzmann, Leslie Jones as Patricia "Patty" Tolan, Chris Hemsworth as Kevin Beckman, Neil Casey as Dr. Rowan North, Andy García as Mayor Bradley, Cecily Strong as Jennifer Lynch, Michael K. Williams as Agent Hawkins, Matt Walsh as Agent Rourke, Charles Dance as Dr. Harold Filmore, Ed Begley Jr. as Ed Mulgrave Jr., Bill Murray as Dr. Martin Heiss, Dan Aykroyd as a taxi driver, Ernie Hudson as Bill Jenkins, Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Rebecca Gorin, and Annie Potts as Vanessa

Since the 2016 film is considered a reboot of the franchise and has no direct correlation to the original series, Ghostbusters (2016) has no place on the chronological timeline. Consequently, the movie, which features an all-female team of Ghostbusters, can be watched after Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, or whenever the viewer chooses. The film was a critical and commercial failure — it only grossed $229.1 million against a $144 million budget. Ghostbusters' reviews made it clear that it couldn't live up to the original's legacy, and plans for a sequel with the four women were abandoned.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire director Gil Kenan previously teased that there have been discussions regarding a sixth movie.