There is no question that The Office is one of the greatest American television shows ever made. The story follows office workers at a failing paper company called Dunder Mifflin in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and it was filmed in documentary style. It brought comedy to the mundane routine of the workplace and introduced the world to several memorable characters. The cast was, of course, led by the brilliant Steve Carrell who famously played Michael Scott, the inappropriate, yet caring, boss of the Scranton branch. The series is still watched religiously to this day by audiences for both pleasure and comfort.
The Officefirst aired on NBC in 2005 and continued for nine hilarious seasons. It was based on a BBC series that Ricky Gervais co-created and starred in. The series was cast perfectly, and each character was brilliant in their own way. Through the years, The Officewon several awards including Golden Globes and Emmys. One of the greatest parts of the show was the hilarious cold opens that set up every episode. Let’s dive back into The Office and look at the best cold opens, ranked.
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9 Kevin the Receptionist — “Dream Team”
NBCUniversal Television Distribution
After Michael Scott notoriously quit Dunder Mifflin to start his own paper company with Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Ryan (B.J. Novak), Dunder Mifflin was left without a receptionist. Unfortunately, the new boss, Charles Miner (Idris Elba), assigned the position to Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner). Miner knows little about the capabilities of the workers, and it was no surprise that Kevin was terrible at the job. He hilariously transferred a call for Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) to every other member of the office until finally reaching Andy in epic fashion to only find out that his nanny had died.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 Dwight’s Watermelon Baby — “The Baby Shower”
The relationship between Michael Scott and his superior, Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin), had several ups and downs throughout the series. They couldn’t be more wrong for one another and eventually, they did call it quits. After Michael finds out that Jan is pregnant, he decides to throw her a baby shower, even though he knows the child isn’t his. To prepare for his delusional idea of fatherhood, he practices a baby delivery with Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and a slippery watermelon, only to have it break into pieces.
7 Faxes From Future Dwight — “Branch Closing”
Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) was known for playing pranks on Dwight throughout the series. Even after Jim transferred to the Stamford branch, he still tried to keep the pranks going. One of the most epic ones was in the opening of “Branch Closing”, where Jim begins to send faxes to Dwight from his future self. Dwight is sent on a mission of false tasks, including preventing Stanley from drinking the supposedly poisoned coffee.
6 Jim Dresses As Dwight — “Product Recall”
In another epic prank from Jim Halpert, he came into the office dressed as Dwight, with the signature glasses, hair, and mustard-colored shirt. Jim even did his best Dwight impression, which was pretty spot on. It should be no surprise that Dwight was not amused. Dwight freaked out and assured Jim that “identity theft is not a joke”. At the end of the episode, Dwight came in dressed as Jim, which was equally hilarious.
5 Kevin’s Famous Chili — “Casual Friday”
NBC
The cold opening involving Kevin’s famous chili is still talked about to this day. Kevin explains to the camera the history and work that goes into his big pot of chili, and it is clear that he is very proud of his dish. Unfortunately, Kevin spills the entire pot of chili on the office floor. This moment works perfectly with Kevin’s character, and it was absolutely hilarious to watch him attempt to clean it up.
4 Michael Burns His Foot — “The Injury”
“The Injury” episode showcases Michael’s need for love and affection. In the cold open, Michael calls the office in a panic, stating that he has badly injured himself. We soon find out that his injury involved him burning his foot on a George Foreman grill. Of course, the only person willing to help Michael is Dwight, who speeds off in his car, only to crash it, giving him a concussion. Instead of staying home, Michael insists on coming into work to disrupt his employees all day.
3 Roy attacks Jim — “The Negotiation”
Violence was rarely seen in The Office, with the exception of this episode. After Roy (David Denman) discovers that Jim kissed Pam, he storms into the office to attack Jim in this cold open. Dwight immediately rises to occasion and sprays Roy with pepper spray. In a hilarious interview, Dwight explains his motives while the effects of the pepper spray are clearly shown on his face.
2 Lip Dub — “Nepotism”
The Office constantly incorporated pop culture trends into their episodes. In the season 7 opening, the entire cast does a synchronized lip dub using the song “Nobody But Me”. It is one of the best openings of the season and each character adds their own contribution. Michael even performs some magic tricks at the end.
1 The Fire Drill — “Stress Relief”
The cold opening of “Stress Relief” was one of the most chaotic moments of The Office history. To teach his employees about fire safety, Dwight decides to set fire to the office after blocking all potential exits. Each employee rushes around in a panic, breaking windows and office supplies to find an escape. Stanley Hudson (Leslie David Baker) ends up having a heart attack, setting the rest of the two-part episode in motion.
