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 medias res

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The very last episode of Saturday Night Live before the 2024 presidential election hosted by John Mulaney began, predictably, with a cold open featuring Maya Rudolph as Vice President Kamala Harris. —

Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2024 Harris dished advice to Maya Rudolph’s impersonation of her as part of the show’s cold open. —

Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2024 During the show's cold open, Harris appeared alongside actress Maya Rudolph, who has portrayed the vice president on SNL since 2019. —

David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024 Rudolph finally came face-to-face with the real-life Harris in this week’s cold open, whose speaking-to-the-mirror conceit was similar to a recent Jennifer Coolidge sketch. —

Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cold open