The Correct Order To Watch The Jesse Stone Movies

Somewhere, at this very moment, someone's dad is probably watching one of the Jesse Stone movies on DVD, and that man is having a great afternoon. After this, he might pop in "Ford v. Ferrari" for the seventh time.

The character of Jesse Stone began his life in a series of airport novels written by the late Robert B. Parker. The first Jesse Stone novel, "Night Passage," was published in 1997, and it followed the titular former LAPD detective (and divorced recovering alcoholic) as he investigated money laundering and murder in Paradise, Massachusetts. Parker had a hit on his hands with "Night Passage," and he proceeded to write eight additional Jesse Stone novels from 1998 up until his death in 2010. Jesse Stone had become an institution at that point, and other authors began writing Stone novels in Parker's style. There have been 12 additional Jesse Stone novels written after Parker's death. 

Starting in 2005, Jesse Stone began appearing in a series of TV movies directed by Robert Harmon (except for "Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost," which was directed by Dick Lowry). Jesse Stone may not have the same kind of cultural penetration as the Avengers, but he has proved a reliable enough "grizzled detective" character to appear in nine TV movies. Tom Selleck of the '80s series "Magnum P.I." plays Jesse Stone, giving the storied TV star yet another interesting chapter in his very long career. Selleck also co-wrote six of the movies, starting with "Death in Paradise'" in 2006. Plus, the Jesse Stone movies have provided steady work for some amazing recognizable actors including Saul Rubinek, William Sadler, Kathy Baker, William Devane, and Viola Davis, one of the best actors ever.

There are nine films in the Jesse Stone film series. Here is the best order in which to watch them.

Honestly, the best way to watch the Jesse Stone movies is in the order they were made and released. 

• Jesse Stone: Stone Cold (2005)
• Jesse Stone: Night Passage (January 15, 2006)
• Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise (April 30, 2006)
• Jesse Stone: Sea Change (2007)
• Jesse Stone: Thin Ice (2009)
• Jesse Stone: No Remorse (2010)
• Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost (2011)
• Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt (2012)
• Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise (2015)

The first eight films aired on CBS, while the ninth was produced — on a budget — for the Hallmark Channel. With the exception of the final installment, these all came out pretty quickly one after the other, and as this was the intended way to watch the movies, the release order is the best way to dive into the world of Jesse Stone. Interestingly, only "Stone Cold," "Night Passage," "Death in Paradise," and "Sea Change" are named after Parker's original novels. On "Thin Ice," Parker has a "characters by" credit, and the rest all seem to be whole creations of Tom Selleck, Robert Harmon, and the series' other screenwriters. Of course, watching the movies in order of release isn't the only way to visit the world of Jesse Stone...

While you should check out the Jesse Stone movies in the order they were made, you can get the tiniest bit experimental and watch them in chronological order. Yep, that means there's a prequel in there! Curiously, the first Jesse Stone movie was based on the fourth Jesse Stone novel. The second film, "Night Passage," was based on the first novel that Robert B. Parker wrote, and when you're watching the films, it might serve as a Jesse Stone origin story.

Here are the movies in chronological order when it comes to the events of Jesse Stone's life:

• Jesse Stone: Night Passage (January 15, 2006)
• Jesse Stone: Stone Cold (2005)
• Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise (April 30, 2006)
• Jesse Stone: Sea Change (2007)
• Jesse Stone: Thin Ice (2009)
• Jesse Stone: No Remorse (2010)
• Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost (2011)
• Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt (2012)
• Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise (2015)

Either way you watch them, you're going to have an awesome time. After all, the Jesse Stone movies seem to be a wonderful ur-example of what might be called a "comfort watch." They're all set in cozy New England (where Robert B. Parker is from) and feature appropriately twisty plots without ever dipping too deeply into difficult philosophies or questions about police efficacy.

It may strike one as curious that so many audiences take a brisk, casual comfort in stories about violence, murder, and death, but it makes sense with some thought. The best TV crime dramas follow straight, logical paths and tell fantastical tales about how the criminal justice system ought to work in the best of circumstances. To this outsider, Jesse Stone is the '00s-dad version of "Law and Order."