The 20 best cold opens in TV sitcom history

Cold opens can’t be discussed without mentioning the very best one from The Office. “Stress Relief Part 1” is better known as the episode with the fire drill. After losing the attention of his co-workers during a presentation on fire safety, Dwight decides to ambush them with a mock fire drill, and chaos ensues. Michael yells. Angela throws her cat. Kevin ruins the vending machine. Stanley has a heart attack. It couldn’t be funnier. 

The Office didn’t invent the cold open, but an argument can be made that the show perfected it. Kevin walking in with his pot of chili and proudly claiming it’s what he does best, only to spill it everywhere and leave a hopelessly giant mess on the carpet, is brilliant writing and a shining example of what cold opens can do for a show’s legacy. 

Another fantastic cold open from The Office, “Product Recall” gives us Jim’s infamous impression of Dwight. From the glasses, the mustard shirt, the hair part, and the interrogation about bears, everything is spot on. But what’s even funnier is Dwight’s reprimand when he realizes what’s happening. “Identity theft is not a joke, Jim. Millions of families suffer every year!”

Parks and Recreation’s first two seasons are full of uncharacteristic moments from all of the cast, but one such moment resulted in a great cold open. To start the show’s second season, Leslie responds to Ron with an unending rap that amuses the entire parks department. Her glee is ruined when she learns Ron’s message: “Someone is on fire in Ramset Park.”

It’s no secret that Ron Swanson hates technology, but when he learns about cookies, he fully rejects it. April explains the computer term to him, and upon feeling his privacy has been invaded, he takes extreme measures to regain it by throwing the entire computer in the dump. Classic Ron Swanson. 

Ben is just trying to hold a staff meeting, and it quickly goes awry when Ron complains about his tooth pain. After pulling it out with pliers, he reveals to the camera the dentist had pulled it out a day ago. Leave it to Ron to scare his co-workers into fainting. 

Jake Peralta is a great detective, but he often gets caught up in the ridiculousness of his own making. Nothing encapsulates this better than the cold open of “DFW,” where questioning suspects turns into a jam session of the Backstreet Boys’ iconic song “I Want It That Way.” You don’t even have to be a fan of the show to appreciate this scene. 

Amy Santiago is a rule follower, so when she’s late for the first time ever, the entire squad, including Captain Holt, theorizes why. Since most of their theories are implausible, Captain Holt is correct. There was a problem at the bank. The solve leads Holt to yell one of his best lines of the entire series, “Hot damn!”

While Jake, Amy, and Rosa are sharing stories of the oldest person they’ve ever arrested, Charles walks in and completely misunderstands the conversation. It’s Rosa who discovers he’s actually talking about the oldest woman he’s had sex with, and the rest of the squad is thoroughly disgusted when they learn she was someone’s grandma. 

Before leaving for a weekend in Vegas, Gloria and Jay draft an email to Claire about a forthcoming bake sale. Jay offers to help Gloria share her thoughts in a kind way, but instead, he types what she really thinks, only for Gloria to accidentally send the email. Her reaction is all of us when accidentally sending someone (before unsend technology came about, that is). 

This Modern Family cold open doesn’t seem that funny at the onset. As Claire describes, the Dunphys plus Manny are on a relaxing drive to get pancakes. But thanks to some distraction we can all relate to, the scene takes a quick turn when Phil almost runs into a truck, resulting in a scream from everyone except Luke, who asks why the car has stopped. A+. 

In Community’s pilot, the show’s premise is made known in the best way possible. Dean Pelton is on a podium addressing a small group, but heard by passersby aplenty, when he says, “You’ve heard it’s 'loser college' for remedial teens, twenty-something dropouts, middle-aged divorcees, and old people.” The camera, of course, pans to a different person for each description, and in 20 brilliant seconds, we’re introduced to several main characters. 

Though it’s a longer cold open, this scene from Community is worth every second. Dean Pelton walks in to tell the students that payday has been postponed. But in true Dean fashion, he delivers the news in the most theatrical way possible: a rap that quickly devolves into incredibly intense subject matter. Oh, and he’s wearing a peanut bar costume. 

We don’t get much of a glimpse into the Roses’ glamorous life on Schitt’s Creek (aside from Alexis’ bonkers stories from her past), but in the show’s pilot, we see their fabulous mansion, belongings, and portrait as the government is seizing their assets. “Immigration?” a household staff member asks. “Revenue,” the bureaucrat answers before the raid starts. 

Like most of the show’s episodes, the title of the episode gives away exactly what’s about to happen, but that doesn’t make it any less funny. Dennis and Dee quit their jobs at the bar, and after giving a quick speech about their goals, the title pops up: “Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare.”

The entire show revolves around The Gang’s absurd ideas, and few are as absurd as their spur-of-the-moment decision to buy a gun. After discovering and arguing about a B&E at the bar, Mac reasons with his friends. “We need to be rational … We need to buy a gun,” he says. 

An underappreciated sitcom, Superstore had some highly comical moments in its six-season run, including its “Olympics” cold open. To celebrate the games, Glenn enlists his entire staff to put on their Opening Ceremony, but it goes awry when Myrtle lights a display of paper products on fire instead of the cauldron. 

Abbott Elementary proved it’s an instant classic in its very first scene. Its pilot episode features Miss Teagues introducing herself while giving feedback to her students. The reality of the life of an elementary school teacher is fully displayed with one student who gives an inappropriate answer, one defiant student, and another student who pees on the rug. 

All sitcoms fall into tropes, but one that always works for a cold open is a character trying something new, which is exactly what happens in “Teacher Appreciation.” Gregory walks into the teachers’ lounge wearing a new hat, only to be berated by the rest of the staff. His last straw is a joke from Ms. Teagues, and after taking the hat off, Mr. Johnson dons it and receives high praise. 

New Girl isn’t known for its cold opens, but one of the show’s opening scenes is top-tier (as is the entire episode). After arguing about whose responsibility it is, the boys join forces to move Jess’ panties from the dryer. Jess and Cece walk in on the four of them in the middle of their odd self-imposed chore, but they ignore the strange scene to deliver their unbelievable news: they were invited to a party at Prince’s house.