cold open

noun

variants or less commonly cold opening

plural cold opens also cold openings

: a scene of a film or television episode that precedes the title sequence or opening credits and that typically takes place in the middle of the narrative or plot

Cold opens are a bold move in any medium. When a movie or TV show drops the audience into its world without so much as a "here's the title," it speaks to a confidence that whatever's about to happen on screen is sufficient enough to immerse, intrigue, and otherwise hook them.

—Alexis Nedd

For fans of NBC's "The Office," the cold open from season five's "Casual Friday"—where Kevin spills his famous chili—is one of the show's most beloved scenes.

—Addy Bink

The film lost me right from the overacted cold opening …

—Alexa Chipman

Examples of cold open in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Those blast-from-the-past moments threaten to literalize, over-explain, and impose on the film’s present day, effectively stymying the narrative momentum established by Parsons’ spectacular cold open. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 27 May 2026

The pilot episode’s cold open showed Edward’s (now-deceased) wife, Grace (Dee Wallace), being attacked by a mysterious, spindly creature in the middle of the night. —ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026

Special shout-out to the writers’ room for giving us a high-tension cold open and then segueing immediately post-credits to the Titan equivalent of a family road trip where Mom and Dad are pedantic geniuses arguing over what route to take to the beach. —Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 22 May 2026

Key Facts In a slight change in format, Thursday’s show began with a cold open in which Colbert spoke directly to the audience, both in the studio and at home. —Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cold open

• atropine
• reopen