The Rush Hour franchise is an American action comedy series created by Ross LaManna and directed by Brett Ratner with both Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in the lead roles. All three films revolve around a pair of police detectives, Chief Inspector Lee (Chan) and Detective James Carter (Tucker), who continue a series of misadventures involving corrupt criminal figures. in Hong Kong and Los Angeles. The films combine elements of martial arts, comedy, and the buddy cop subgenre. The films, released in theaters between 1998 and 2007, achieved commercial success but mixed reception.