In 2001, a little action film called The Fast and the Furious came out and was an unexpected hit. It involved street racing, truck hijacking, and a lot of car talk. It did so well that there had to be a sequel, and eventually more sequels. Those sequels were not numbered but instead renamed in a familiar way, to the point that predicting the name of the next movie was a game. The next movie of the series, Fast X, will open on May 19.
Fast X is the tenth movie of the franchise, or the 11th if you count the 2019 spinoff Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. The story in Fast X is supposedly the conclusion of the series, although it will not be the last movie. That will be Fast X part two, which does not have its own title yet, and is scheduled for 2025. After the first film, popular characters were brought back, meaning adversaries become friends, and new antagonists are added, a cycle that has continued until the returning cast is quite large. The characters have gone from simple street criminals in the first movie to heroes foiling international schemes to destroy the planet. Are you confused yet?
If you have ever intended to watch a Fast and Furious movie but haven't seen them all as they came out, you'll want to consult a guide at io9 that will get you up to speed on the franchise's history, timeline, recommended viewing order, and details you really should know before the tenth movie opens at a theater near you.