5 Best cold opens from TV Shows that we can’t get over with

Some TV show cold opens hit so hard you forget the episode hasn’t even started. The screen fades in. A few lines are said. Or maybe no one says anything at all. And suddenly you're locked in. Great shows know how to make that first minute count. They don’t wait for the plot to kick in. They drop you straight into the fire.

Sometimes it’s someone getting killed in total silence. Sometimes it’s a fake emergency that turns into a complete meltdown. Other times, it’s just a simple moment that makes your stomach drop. These scenes don’t need a buildup. They don’t need long explanations. They know exactly what they’re doing.

This list focuses on cold opens that people still bring up years later. The ones that live in memes and rewatches. They made people laugh. They shocked everyone. They pulled you into the world without warning. And they made sure you didn’t look away. You’ll find murder scenes. You’ll find panic. You’ll find moments that say everything without a single word.

These are the five cold opens we still think about because they didn’t just start the episode. They hijacked it.

5 Best cold opens from TV Shows that we can’t get over with

1. Breaking Bad – Box Cutter (Season 4 Episode 1)

Gus walks into the lab without a single word. Walt keeps talking and tries to explain why Gale had to die. Jesse stays quiet. Gus does not respond. He walks to the locker and changes into a hazmat suit. Walt continues to beg. Gus still says nothing.

Then he walks over to Victor and cuts his throat open with a box cutter. Victor bleeds out in front of them while they stand frozen. No one screams. No one moves. The blood keeps pouring onto the floor. The sound of it hitting the concrete is all you hear.

Gus wipes off the blade. He takes off the suit. He says just one sentence. “Well, get back to work.” Then he leaves. That moment shows who is really in charge. Gus kills Victor not because he failed, but because he got too confident. This scene makes it clear. No one is untouchable.

2. The Office – Stress Relief: Part 1 (Season 5 Episode 14)

Dwight wants to teach his coworkers a lesson about fire safety. He stages a fake fire by heating doorknobs and setting a trash can on fire. Smoke fills the office. He locks the exits. Panic takes over instantly.

Angela throws her cat onto the ceiling. Oscar falls through the tiles. Kevin smashes open the vending machine. Andy punches out a window. Everyone screams. Then Stanley collapses from a heart attack. Dwight watches and takes notes.

This cold open is pure chaos. It feels real because the reactions are so extreme, but believable for this group. It also ties directly to the story of the episode. Stanley’s heart attack becomes a wake-up call. It shifts how the team views stress. It also forces Dwight to deal with real consequences. The scene went viral. Fans still call it the best cold open the show ever had. And they’re not wrong.

3. Brooklyn Nine-Nine – Johnny and Dora (Season 2 Episode 23)

Jake runs a police lineup for a witness. The suspect might be a singer. To help the witness remember, he has the lineup sing “I Want It That Way.” Each man starts singing a line. Jake sings along like he’s at karaoke.

The moment builds slowly. It starts as a joke but becomes weirdly beautiful. The final man hits the high note. Then the witness says, “Number five killed my brother.” Jake pauses. His face falls. Then he says, "I forgot about that part.”

This scene works because it blends absurd comedy with the grim reality of murder. It’s perfectly timed. The cast hits every note without missing a beat. It became one of the show’s most shared clips. It shows exactly what Brooklyn Nine-Nine does best. It gets serious without losing the fun. And it delivers one of the most iconic cold opens in recent sitcom history.

4. The Simpsons – You Only Move Twice (Season 8 Episode 2)

Homer gets a new job. The family prepares to move. Nothing seems off at first. But then Homer meets his new boss. Hank Scorpio welcomes him to a strange office where something feels off right away.

As Homer tours the building, a man tries to run away. Scorpio stops him mid-conversation and kills him with a flamethrower. Then he turns back to Homer like nothing happened. Homer does not react. He just keeps talking about his desk.

This cold open hits because it mixes two worlds. One is Homer’s goofy routine. The other is a full-blown spy thriller. Hank Scorpio is cheerful and violent at the same time. That contrast makes the scene unforgettable. It sets up the episode perfectly. The audience knows something big is coming even if Homer does not. This is one of the most quoted openings in The Simpsons history. And for good reason.

5. Better Call Saul – Smoke (Season 4 Episode 1)

Gene works a quiet job at a Cinnabon in Omaha. His days are slow and careful. He finishes a shift. He walks through the mall. Suddenly, he collapses. Paramedics arrive. A crowd starts watching.

As they check his ID and take him to the hospital, Gene looks terrified. He does not speak. He keeps glancing around. The entire scene is in black and white. Every movement feels slow. The tension builds without anyone saying a word.

This cold open shows what hiding looks like. Gene is always scared someone will recognize him. The collapse puts him in the public eye. That fear is worse than the pain. It’s not about the heart problem. It’s about what comes next. The cold opens in Better Call Saul always show Gene’s life after Breaking Bad. But this one is different. It shows how fragile that new life has become.