Top 5 TV Cold Opens Better Than Most Full Episodes
The two-minute bits before the credits that were funnier, stranger or more gripping than whole seasons of other shows.
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The Fire Drill — The Office ("Stress Relief")
Dwight lights a fire to test office safety, Oscar goes through the ceiling, and Angela throws a cat. Nobody has topped it since, and nobody will.
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Pants in the Desert — Breaking Bad ("Pilot")
A chemistry teacher in his underwear, wearing a gas mask and driving an RV. It sold you the whole show before you knew anyone's name.
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The Hatch Wake-Up — Lost ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")
A stranger's morning routine set to "Make Your Own Kind of Music," then the camera pulls up out of the hatch. Peak TV whiplash.
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The "I Want It That Way" Lineup — Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Five suspects sing the Backstreet Boys in a police lineup and it somehow solves the case. You have watched it on YouTube more than the actual show.
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Gene at Cinnabon — Better Call Saul ("Uno")
Black-and-white mall pretzel shame with zero dialogue, then a VHS tape. A spinoff announcing it would be sadder and better than you expected.