The Coen Brothers watch order

Coen Brothers movies in order, by release and rating. Updated October 20, 2026.

The Coen brothers' films stand alone, so watch them in release order, from Blood Simple (1984) through Fargo, The Big Lebowski and No Country for Old Men to The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018). Since then they have worked apart: Joel made The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) and Ethan made Drive-Away Dolls (2024) and Honey Don't! (2025).

How to watch the Coen Brothers movies in order: the full guide

All 21 films and series in the The Coen Brothers franchise, in release order and in chronological (story) order. The first in release order is Blood Simple (1984); the first in chronological order is Blood Simple (set in A Texas bar owner).

Release order

Blood Simple (Movie, 1984): The Coens' debut and Frances McDormand's first film, a Texas noir of double-crosses.
Raising Arizona (Movie, 1987): Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter steal a baby in the brothers' broadest comedy.
Miller's Crossing (Movie, 1990): A Prohibition gang war seen through Gabriel Byrne's cool right-hand man.
Barton Fink (Movie, 1991): John Turturro as a blocked playwright in 1941 Hollywood; it won the Palme d'Or.
The Hudsucker Proxy (Movie, 1994): A 1950s screwball fable co-written with Sam Raimi, in which a mailroom clerk invents the hula hoop.
Fargo (Movie, 1996): Frances McDormand won an Oscar as the pregnant police chief chasing a botched Minnesota kidnapping.
The Big Lebowski (Movie, 1998): Jeff Bridges as the Dude, a bowling slacker caught in a ransom plot meant for another Lebowski.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Movie, 2000): Three escaped convicts in 1930s Mississippi, retelling The Odyssey.
The Man Who Wasn't There (Movie, 2001): A black-and-white noir with Billy Bob Thornton as a silent barber turned blackmailer.
Intolerable Cruelty (Movie, 2003): A divorce lawyer falls for a gold digger.
The Ladykillers (Movie, 2004): Tom Hanks leads a heist crew in a remake of the 1955 Ealing comedy.
No Country for Old Men (Movie, 2007): A hunter takes drug money and a killer follows him.
Burn After Reading (Movie, 2008): Two gym employees find a CIA analyst's memoir on a disc.
A Serious Man (Movie, 2009): A Minnesota physics professor in 1967 seeks answers from rabbis as his life collapses.
True Grit (Movie, 2010): Hailee Steinfeld hires Jeff Bridges' marshal in a more faithful take on the Charles Portis novel.
Inside Llewyn Davis (Movie, 2013): Oscar Isaac as a broke folk singer in Greenwich Village, a week before Bob Dylan arrives.
Hail, Caesar! (Movie, 2016): Josh Brolin as a 1950s studio fixer hunting a kidnapped star played by George Clooney.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Movie, 2018): Six Western tales for Netflix and the last film the brothers made together.
The Tragedy of Macbeth (Movie, 2021): Joel Coen's solo debut: Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand in a black-and-white Shakespeare.
Drive-Away Dolls (Movie, 2024): Ethan Coen's solo debut, a 1999 lesbian road comedy co-written with Tricia Cooke.
Honey Don't! (Movie, 2025): Margaret Qualley as a Bakersfield private eye in Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke's second B-movie.

Chronological order

Blood Simple (set in A Texas bar owner): The Coens' debut and Frances McDormand's first film, a Texas noir of double-crosses.
Raising Arizona (set in A stolen quintuplet): Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter steal a baby in the brothers' broadest comedy.
Miller's Crossing (set in A Prohibition-era city): A Prohibition gang war seen through Gabriel Byrne's cool right-hand man.
Barton Fink (set in Hollywood, 1941): John Turturro as a blocked playwright in 1941 Hollywood; it won the Palme d'Or.
The Hudsucker Proxy (set in New York, 1958): A 1950s screwball fable co-written with Sam Raimi, in which a mailroom clerk invents the hula hoop.
Fargo (set in Minnesota in winter): Frances McDormand won an Oscar as the pregnant police chief chasing a botched Minnesota kidnapping.
The Big Lebowski (set in Los Angeles, 1991): Jeff Bridges as the Dude, a bowling slacker caught in a ransom plot meant for another Lebowski.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (set in Mississippi, 1937): Three escaped convicts in 1930s Mississippi, retelling The Odyssey.
The Man Who Wasn't There (set in A barber, 1949): A black-and-white noir with Billy Bob Thornton as a silent barber turned blackmailer.
Intolerable Cruelty (set in A divorce lawyer): A divorce lawyer falls for a gold digger.
The Ladykillers (set in A casino heist): Tom Hanks leads a heist crew in a remake of the 1955 Ealing comedy.
No Country for Old Men (set in West Texas, 1980): A hunter takes drug money and a killer follows him.
Burn After Reading (set in Washington, D.C.): Two gym employees find a CIA analyst's memoir on a disc.
A Serious Man (set in Minnesota, 1967): A Minnesota physics professor in 1967 seeks answers from rabbis as his life collapses.
True Grit (set in Indian Territory): Hailee Steinfeld hires Jeff Bridges' marshal in a more faithful take on the Charles Portis novel.
Inside Llewyn Davis (set in Greenwich Village, 1961): Oscar Isaac as a broke folk singer in Greenwich Village, a week before Bob Dylan arrives.
Hail, Caesar! (set in A studio fixer, 1951): Josh Brolin as a 1950s studio fixer hunting a kidnapped star played by George Clooney.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (set in Six western tales): Six Western tales for Netflix and the last film the brothers made together.
The Tragedy of Macbeth (set in Joel Coen): Joel Coen's solo debut: Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand in a black-and-white Shakespeare.
Drive-Away Dolls (set in Ethan Coen): Ethan Coen's solo debut, a 1999 lesbian road comedy co-written with Tricia Cooke.
Honey Don't! (set in Ethan Coen): Margaret Qualley as a Bakersfield private eye in Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke's second B-movie.

Common questions

What order should I watch the Coen Brothers movies in?

How many Coen Brothers movies and shows are there?

There are 21 titles in the The Coen Brothers franchise: 21 films and 0 series, released from 1984 to 2025.

How long does it take to watch all the Coen Brothers movies?

About 37 hours for all 21 titles, counting every episode. The essentials only (18 titles) take about 33 hours.

What is the first Coen Brothers title in chronological order?

Blood Simple, set in A Texas bar owner. In release order the first is Blood Simple (1984).

Which Coen Brothers titles can I skip?

The Tragedy of Macbeth, Drive-Away Dolls, and Honey Don't!. They are spin-offs, side stories or non-canon entries; the main story holds without them.