Best Cold Opens in TV
Show↕ | Notable Cold Open↕ | Season/Episode↕ | Year↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Breaking Bad | Pink Teddy Bear | S2E1 Seven Thirty-Seven | 2009 | Charred pink teddy bear eye in pool, recurring flash-forward through season 2 setting up plane crash |
Better Call Saul | Gene Takavic at Cinnabon | S1E1 Uno | 2015 | Black-and-white post-BB flash forward, Saul working in Omaha mall as baker, decade-long payoff |
The Sopranos | Christopher's Beheading Ralph | S4E9 Whoever Did This | 2002 | Tony strangles Ralph over dead racehorse, abrupt kill with no music, iconic Sopranos shock |
Lost | Desmond in the Hatch | S2E1 Man of Science Man of Faith | 2005 | Pan up from record player to reveal new character Desmond in underground hatch, mystery reset |
The X-Files | Home teaser | S4E2 Home | 1996 | Peaky Blinders style rain birth of deformed baby, banned from re-airing by Fox, horror masterpiece |
Mad Men | Don's Falling Title | S1E1 Smoke Gets in Your Eyes | 2007 | Every opening: silhouette falls past Madison Ave ads, set 60s mood for all 7 seasons |
Succession | Logan's Sweary Phone Call | S1E1 Celebration | 2018 | Logan Roy rants about a medical test, wets the bed, sets family chaos tone |
Saturday Night Live | Trump Election Night Cold Open | S42E7 | 2016 | Kate McKinnon sings Hallelujah as Hillary Clinton, Leonard Cohen had just died, most discussed cold open of the era |
Saturday Night Live | Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer | S42E13 | 2017 | Gum-swallowing podium rage, reportedly rattled Trump administration, Emmy winner |
Twin Peaks | Laura Palmer's Body | S1E1 Pilot | 1990 | Wrapped in plastic discovery on a log, Angelo Badalamenti score, defined prestige weirdness |
Fargo | Lester Nygaard Meets Lorne Malvo | S1E1 | 2014 | Hospital waiting room opening, bridge conversation about killing a bully, quiet menace |
Game of Thrones | White Walkers Beyond the Wall | S1E1 Winter Is Coming | 2011 | Rangers discover mutilated wildlings, White Walker attack reveals fantasy stakes, show's first scene |
The Office (US) | Parkour! | S6E1 Gossip | 2009 | Michael Dwight and Andy yelling parkour while hopping desks, GIF lore forever |
Parks and Recreation | Jerry's Fart Attack | S5E13 | 2013 | Running gag of Jerry suffering absurd accidents, cold open comedic gem |
Scrubs | My Last Words | S8E4 | 2009 | J.D. and Turk comfort a dying patient, delicate emotional opening, not played for laughs |
True Detective | Rust's Monologue | S1E1 The Long Bright Dark | 2014 | Rust Cohle time is a flat circle philosophy in interrogation flashback, career-reviving Matthew McConaughey |
The Leftovers | The Departure | S1E1 Pilot | 2014 | Baby vanishes from car seat mid-drive, 2% of world suddenly gone, premise in 3 minutes |
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