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
Alexis NeddFor 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
Addy BinkThe film lost me right from the overacted cold opening …—Alexa Chipman
Alexa ChipmanExamples of cold open in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Saturday Night Live centered its cold open segment on a comparison between Donald Trump and Jesus Christ ahead of Palm Sunday.
—Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 13 Apr. 2025
While the potential bomb threat against the SNL studio earlier this week by an apparent Scarlett Johansson thankfully didn’t make the cut, another cold open topic could have been Saturday’s well attended anti-MAGA Hands Off marches and protest all across the nation and the globe.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 5 Apr. 2025
By Megan Garber In last night’s Saturday Night Live cold open, three teenage girls chatted over Signal.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2025
The warmth between the three leads is believable and although the tendency to have Lane, Bomer and Graham break into choreographed song and dance routines for episodic climaxes quickly feels lazy, a cold open homage to Chicago produced my biggest laugh of the 10-episode season.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025
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Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 13 Apr. 2025
While the potential bomb threat against the SNL studio earlier this week by an apparent Scarlett Johansson thankfully didn’t make the cut, another cold open topic could have been Saturday’s well attended anti-MAGA Hands Off marches and protest all across the nation and the globe.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 5 Apr. 2025
By Megan Garber In last night’s Saturday Night Live cold open, three teenage girls chatted over Signal.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2025
The warmth between the three leads is believable and although the tendency to have Lane, Bomer and Graham break into choreographed song and dance routines for episodic climaxes quickly feels lazy, a cold open homage to Chicago produced my biggest laugh of the 10-episode season.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cold open
Cite this Entry
“Cold open.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cold%20open. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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