# Cold open

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{{Short description|Narrative technique used in television and films}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{refimprove|date=December 2009}}
{{original research|date=April 2009}}
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A '''cold open''' (also called a '''teaser sequence''')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wisegeek.com/what-is-a-cold-open.htm|title=What is a Cold Open?|last=Pollick|first=Michael|date=June 10, 2013|website=WiseGEEK|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627121214/https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-cold-open.htm|archive-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref> is a narrative technique used in television and films. It is the practice of jumping directly into a story at the beginning of the show before the [title sequence](/source/title_sequence) or [opening credits](/source/opening_credits) are shown. In North American television, this is often done on the theory that involving the audience in the plot as soon as possible will reduce the likelihood of them switching to a different show during the opening commercial.<ref>{{cite book | title = The Making of Star Trek | url = https://archive.org/details/makingofstartrek00whit | url-access = registration | last1 = Whitfield | first1 = Stephen E. | last2 = Roddenberry | first2= Gene | publisher = Ballantine Books | year = 1968 | isbn = 978-0-345-27638-4}}</ref> A cold open may also be used to recap events in previous episodes or storylines that will be revisited during the current episode.

The cold open technique is sometimes used in films. There, "cold opening" still refers to the opening moments or scenes, but not necessarily to the full duration before the [title card](/source/Intertitle), as the title card might appear well after the start.

==Development==
In the early 1960s, few American series used cold opens, and half-hour [sitcoms](/source/sitcom) almost never made use of them prior to 1965. Many American series that ran from the early 1960s through the mid-years of the decade (even sitcoms) adopted cold opens in later seasons. However, beginning in the late 1950s, several dramatic series, notably such Warner Bros. shows as ''[77 Sunset Strip](/source/77_Sunset_Strip)'', would cold-open with an attention-grabbing scene from the middle of the episode, which would repeat when the story arrived at that point.

Cold opens became widespread on American television by the mid-1960s. Their use was an economical way of setting up a plot without having to introduce the regular characters, or even the series synopsis, which would typically be outlined in the title sequence itself.

British producer [Lew Grade](/source/Lew_Grade)'s many attempts to break into the American market meant that various shows he was involved with incorporated the cold open. Later, many British action-adventure series employed the format, such as ''[The New Avengers](/source/The_New_Avengers_(TV_series))'' (1976–1977) and ''[The Professionals](/source/The_Professionals_(TV_series))'' (1977–1981).

During the 1960s and 1970s, daytime [soap operas](/source/soap_operas) became the main users of cold opens, with most American soap operas employing the format.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, some shows began with highlights from the previous episode. Also throughout the 1970s and 1980s, many traditional [multi-camera](/source/multi-camera) [sitcom](/source/sitcom)s usually launched straight into the opening [theme music](/source/theme_song), although this has changed in modern use. Today, between the 2000s and 2010s, most multi-camera and [single-camera](/source/Single-camera_setup) American sitcoms usually use cold opens for each episode, that last for at least 1–2 minutes (and 3–4 minutes at the most) before transitioning into the [opening title sequence](/source/Title_sequence) or [theme song](/source/Theme_music) of the show.

Documentaries do not use cold openings as frequently as fictional shows. ''[The World at War](/source/The_World_at_War)'' (1973–1974) is one famous exception, wherein a few short minutes an especially poignant moment is featured; after the title sequence, the events that explain the episode are outlined more fully.

==Current uses in television==
=== News ===
Most American news shows, including on channels providing [24-hour news coverage](/source/24-hour_news_cycle), use cold opens to introduce a summary of the stories covered in that edition.

===Dramas===
Cold opens are common in science fiction dramas and crime dramas. In the U.S., television shows will occasionally forgo a standard cold open at the midway point of a two-part episode, or during a "special" episode. [Vince Gilligan](/source/Vince_Gilligan) has been declared "Undisputed Master of the Cold Open" in different reviews,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://hiddenremote.com/2017/04/25/vince-gilligan-undisputed-master-cold-open/ | title = Vince Gilligan is the Undisputed Master of the Cold Open | first = Erin | last = Qualey | date = April 2017 | publisher = hiddenremote}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Art-Tease-Best-Breaking-Bad-Cold-Opens-58148.html | title = The Art Of The Tease: The Best Breaking Bad Cold Opens | first = Jesse | last = Carp | date = 2014 | publisher = cinamablend}}</ref> detailing particular episodes of ''[Better Call Saul](/source/Better_Call_Saul)'' and ''[Breaking Bad](/source/Breaking_Bad)''. The Australian drama series, ''[McLeod's Daughters](/source/McLeod's_Daughters)'' used a cold open at the beginning of episodes for the majority of its run, before being phased out for its eighth and final season. Despite not featuring in the original run, the 2005 reboot of [Doctor Who](/source/Doctor_Who) featured cold openings consistently until 2017, and since have been used intermittently. 

===Soap operas===
While several [soaps](/source/soap_opera) experimented with regular opens in the early 2000s, all U.S. daytime dramas are currently using cold opens.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}} Typically, a soap opera cold open begins where the last scene of the previous episode ended, sometimes replaying the entire last scene. After several scenes – usually, to set up which storylines will be featured in the episode – the opening credits are shown. By contrast, most British soap operas typically begin with regular opens. In Australia, soap opera ''[Home and Away](/source/Home_and_Away)'' briefly used a cold open for a few episodes in 2006.

=== Comedy ===
One of the most well-known users of the technique, ''[Saturday Night Live](/source/Saturday_Night_Live)'' has regularly used a cold-open sketch since its start in 1975. Many modern-day American sitcoms use or used cold opens, such as ''[Friends](/source/Friends)'', ''[Young Sheldon](/source/Young_Sheldon)'', ''[Malcolm in the Middle](/source/Malcolm_in_the_Middle)'', ''[The Office](/source/The_Office_(American_TV_series))'', ''[Reba](/source/Reba_(TV_series))'', ''[Home Improvement](/source/Home_Improvement_(TV_series))'', ''[Full House](/source/Full_House)'', ''[The Big Bang Theory](/source/The_Big_Bang_Theory)'', ''[How I Met Your Mother](/source/How_I_Met_Your_Mother)'', ''[Two and a Half Men](/source/Two_and_a_Half_Men)'', ''[Modern Family](/source/Modern_Family)'', ''[That '70s Show](/source/That_'70s_Show)'', ''[Cheers](/source/Cheers)'', ''[Family Matters](/source/Family_Matters)'', ''[Parks and Recreation](/source/Parks_and_Recreation)'', and ''[Brooklyn Nine-Nine](/source/Brooklyn_Nine-Nine)''. Many other comedy formats also use cold opens, including late-night talk shows and satirical news shows. British show ''[You’ve Been Framed!](/source/You%E2%80%99ve_Been_Framed!)'' most notably used this in the [Jeremy Beadle](/source/Jeremy_Beadle), [Lisa Riley](/source/Lisa_Riley) and [Harry Hill](/source/Harry_Hill) eras. Sitcom cold opens often present a joke that has no relation to the episode's plot.

===Children's programming===
Several children's TV shows use cold opens, such as ''[Pokémon](/source/Pok%C3%A9mon_(anime))'' (anime) for example, uses the technique to set up the main conflict or plot of the episode.

===Sports===
The ''[UFC](/source/UFC)'' plays a cold open before a PPV main card, to build up anticipation for the fights that will follow.

==In other media==

===Film===
In film production, the section of the film before the opening credits is called the pre-credits, and they are sometimes crafted as a cold open. Some films will by common convention have a short scene before the credits to introduce characters who may, or may not, become crucial to the film's plot. This sequence is normally an expositional scene with either an obvious important plot point or an event which is seemingly minor but whose significance will later in the film become apparent.

A classic example is the series of [James Bond](/source/James_Bond) movies, which traditionally start with a cold open showing a dramatic conflict or [chase scene](/source/chase_scene) after the usual [gun barrel sequence](/source/gun_barrel_sequence) and before the [title sequence](/source/Motifs_in_the_James_Bond_film_series). A characteristic of pre-credit scenes in the horror genre is a character (seemingly a main character) who is killed quickly, as a heralding "warning kill" of the antagonist. For example, ''[Scream](/source/Scream_(1996_film))'', ''[Cube](/source/Cube_(1997_film))'' or many of the ''[Saw](/source/Saw_(franchise))'' sequels.

In some films, the [title card](/source/Intertitle) does not appear until the end. In such cases, one cannot refer to the entire film as the "opening", and the term "cold open" in these instances refers to the opening moments or scenes. Likewise, in films with excessively long pre-credits sequences, the "cold open" does not necessarily refer to the entire pre-credits sequence.

[Television series](/source/Television_series) often have a pre-credit sequence, especially ones from the mid-1960s onward. (Such series as ''[Captain Kangaroo](/source/Captain_Kangaroo)'', ''[The Dick Van Dyke Show](/source/The_Dick_Van_Dyke_Show)'', ''[The Andy Griffith Show](/source/The_Andy_Griffith_Show)'', the first incarnation of ''[The Twilight Zone](/source/The_Twilight_Zone)'', ''[I Love Lucy](/source/I_Love_Lucy)'', and the [Disney anthology television series](/source/Disney_anthology_television_series) did not.) One series famous for its pre-credits is ''[Law & Order](/source/Law_%26_Order)''. Their famous [sound effect](/source/Law_%26_Order) will close the pre-credit after each episode's victim is discovered.

===Podcasts===
Cold opens are occasionally used in the beginning of Podcasts and the reason for its utilization may change depending on the genre or theme of each respective Podcast and its frequency can vary. Some podcasts such as [TrueAnon](/source/TrueAnon) use a cold open at the start of every episode which may include either a skit or off-topic conversation between its two main hosts and producer before going into the intro of the podcast. Since early 2022, the weekly ''Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone'' regularly employs cold opens, which often include the cast self-reflexively discussing the use and effectiveness of cold opens and "grabbers."

===Radio===
Cold opens were also an occasional device in radio. [Jack Benny](/source/Jack_Benny)'s weekly program would usually begin with [Don Wilson](/source/Don_Wilson_(announcer)) reading standard copy announcing the name of the program and introducing the stars. Sometimes, however, particularly for a show at the start of a new season, the actors would launch into the material without any announcement and perform a sketch written to give the audience the impression they were eavesdropping on the stars' off-microphone lives. That would be followed by the more standard Don Wilson introductions and the show would proceed as usual after that.

===Video games===
Many video games have included cold opens. These either begin with a lengthy opening sequence or include an entire level before the titles. It is common in Japanese RPGs, with the original ''[Final Fantasy](/source/Final_Fantasy_(video_game))'' an early example.

==Nomenclature==
Cold opens sometimes employ a segment known as a "teaser" or "tease". A memorandum was written by [Gene Roddenberry](/source/Gene_Roddenberry) on May 2, 1966, as a supplement to the Writer-Director Information Guide for the original ''[Star Trek](/source/Star_Trek%3A_The_Original_Series)'' series, describing the format of a typical episode. This quotation refers to a cold open, commonly known as a teaser:
{{quote|a. Teaser, preferably three pages or less. Captain Kirk's voice-over opens the show, briefly setting where we are and what's going on. This is usually followed by a short playing scene which ends with the Teaser "hook".<ref>{{cite book|last=Alexander | first= David|title=Star Trek Creator: The Authorized Biography of Gene Roddenberry|url=https://archive.org/details/startrekcreator00davi |url-access=registration | publisher=Roc Books|year=1994| isbn= 9780451454409}}</ref>}}

The "[hook](/source/Narrative_hook)" of the teaser was some unexplained plot element that was alluded to in the teaser, or cold open, which was intended to keep audiences interested enough in the show to dissuade them from changing stations while the titles and opening commercial roll.

In television series, a similar technique called a ''[cliffhanger](/source/cliffhanger)'' is often employed before [commercial break](/source/commercial_break)s, to keep the audience from switching channels during the break.

A closing scene at the end of a show, after [end credits](/source/end_credits), is known as the "[tag](/source/post-credits_scene)".

==See also==
*[Hot switch](/source/Hot_switch)
*''[In medias res](/source/In_medias_res)''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

Category:Film and television opening sequences
Category:Television terminology
Category:Film and video terminology
Category:Narrative techniques

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cold open](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_open) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_open?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.