Road to R-Rated Comedy’s Return Leads to … ‘Super Troopers 3?’

The team behind Broken Lizard didn’t know it then, but 2002 was a perfect time for low-brow comedy.

The group’s no-frills “Super Troopers” became an unlikely hit, and the members’ no-rules shtick hit the spot. The film earned an impressive $23 million on a $3 million budget.

Meow! (And it took only 16 years for the sequel!)

Hollywood comedies have changed dramatically since then. The mid 2010s introduced woke to the vernacular, a style of gatekeeping that prevented ribald comedies from hitting movie screens nationwide.

The ones that did faced pop culture blowback.

Remember the grief Kevin Hart faced for starring in a “racist” comedy like “Get Hard,” stripping him of his ability to decide what’s appropriate for his own career?

Later, established stars like Amy Schumer felt the woke backlash for films like “I Feel Pretty” and “Snatched.”

Now, Broken Lizard is ready for more police pratfalls with “Super Troopers 3,” coming Aug. 7.

The broad comedy, starring the ol’ gang along with fan favorite Brian Cox, tackles newer themes like EVs while retaining the bad behavior that is the franchise’s trademark.

Can “Super Troopers 3” fan the R-rated fires, which have flickered back to life in recent years? This year has been a mixed bag on that front. “Busboys,” pairing an old-school comic (David Spade) with a podcast titan (Theo Von), came and went without nudging the zeitgeist.

“Scary Movie,” the sixth film in the franchise, promised to offend everyone. It made big bucks ($230 million worldwide), but it left that promise unfulfilled.

The more recent “Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass” proved long titles aren’t catnip to marketers. The film is bombing in theaters despite a killer cast and a steady stream of laughs.

“The Invite” is faring better on the indie front, but it hasn’t tapped mainstream audiences yet with a $15 million haul stateside after four weeks in theaters.

Both are well worth a look. Combined, they may have a positive effect on the genre.

What didn’t? The execrable “Balls Up,” which debuted on Prime Video earlier this year.

“Scary Movie” came with a built-in audience and plenty of publicity at its back. We’re still waiting for a new, breakout film to revive the R-rated comedy genre.

“Super Troopers 3” comes with a hardcore fan base, too. The group’s recent publicity tour surrounding the threequel sold well in multiple cities, including Denver.

The cast members told Hollywood in Toto that they hope their reunion will do more than put fannies in the seats. They’d love to see R-rated comedies come back in a big way.

Sounds like a job for Trooper Rodney “Rod” Farva and friends.