| 1 | Also known as a Cold Opening or "Cold Open". A one to five minute mini-act at the beginning of the show, most of the time before the [[TitleSequence opening credits]], that is used to set up the episode and catch the audience's attention. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | In a MonsterOfTheWeek show such as ''Series/TheXFiles'', the teaser usually contains the first RedShirt of the episode. In a CrimeAndPunishmentSeries, it usually contains the first murder or the body of a victim being discovered. It has become something of a fashion, particularly on crime shows, to end the cold open with a QuipToBlack. |
| 4 | |
| 5 | Though it technically does not really set up the plot, as there is usually no lengthy continuous plot, the first sketch right before the opening credits in sketch comedy shows like ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' and ''Series/{{MADtv|1995}}'' is also called a cold opening. (The show ''Series/Studio60OnTheSunsetStrip'' actually had an episode titled "Cold Open" in which the writing of such a sketch is a plot element.) Non-sketch entertainment programming often also uses a comedy sketch as a Cold Open. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | The teaser has been used by many series since the 1950s. Today, nearly every American show has a teaser (to get viewers hooked before they can consider changing channels). Many British shows still don't use the technique (what's more, until the 1980s Creator/TheBBC would actually re-edit most American shows to put the teaser ''after'' the opening titles), but it is increasing in prominence. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | When US shows are broadcast on British commercial channels the first commercial break is not usually placed after the opening title but about 8-12 minutes in. However, some more recent series like ''Series/{{Lost}}'' have such long teasers that the commercial does immediately follow the title (or, more rarely, actually precedes it). |
| 10 | |
| 11 | Although the term is usually reserved for television, the practice is now prevalent in comic books, having crept into the medium in the mid-80s and grown popular through the 90s. While older comics tend to have the title and credits on the first page, most modern comics now wait until three-to-five pages in, for a suitably dramatic moment. Some comics vary this by introducing the title at the ''end'' of this issue (eg. "Shoot", a lost issue of ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'') or sometimes square in the middle. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | Subtropes: |
| 14 | [[index]] |
| 15 | * ActionPrologue: also known as a BondOpeningSequence. |
| 16 | * BatmanColdOpen |
| 17 | * DangerRoomColdOpen |
| 18 | * DramaticChaseOpening |
| 19 | * ProlongedPrologue |
| 20 | * TeaserOnlyCharacter |
| 21 | [[/index]] |
| 22 | |
| 23 | If the teaser depicts events that come at the end of the show, it can set up a HowWeGotHere or OnceMoreWithClarity. Not to be confused with TheTease. Contrast TheStinger, which is shown ''after'' the show, not ''before'' it. |
| 24 | ---- |
| 25 | !!Examples: |
| 26 | |
| 27 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 28 | |
| 29 | [[folder:Anime]] |
| 30 | * ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': Barring a few exceptions, several episodes start off with a cold open with the heroes along with the VillainOfTheWeek they'll be battling. |
| 31 | * Occurs between the series' title sequence and the episode title of ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura''. |
| 32 | * Special case: ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'' opened its episodes with an avant-title that relates to the plot, then the opening titles, then a short scene before the title card. When [[Creator/FourKidsEntertainment 4Kids]] dubbed it for America, they cut out the avant-title and used the short scene before the title card as the ColdOpening instead. Sometimes, they cut out the short scene entirely, meaning that in those episodes, the show starts with the opening titles. |
| 33 | * ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'': The English dub did this starting in the second Johto season of ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries''. In ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl'' (when the Japanese version started doing this), sometimes clips from later in the episode would play before the opening (which, in the dub, would actually sometimes replace other scenes). The movies also do this as well. |
| 34 | * ''Anime/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' used cold openings, the most effective being at the start of each arc; a clip would be shown of the [[spoiler:usually rather gory]] climax of that particular arc. Coupled with the cheerful tone of the early parts of each arc, it was also a good use of MoodDissonance. |
| 35 | * Since ''Shippuuden'', ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' started using these, though it technically got its start at the tail end of Part I for its finale arc. They kinda overused it in the very first episode, which began with a foreshadowing of episode 30 or so, a crucial moment to the plot. |
| 36 | * ''Anime/{{Kaiba}}'' had brief recap/prologues in front of episodes for the first few episodes before switching to more standard cold openings, often setting up new locations. |
| 37 | * All of the episodes of ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' open with barely-animated charcoal drawings on the screen while a female narrator grimly tells a fairytale that's somehow related to the episode. After a dramatic music swell, the gentle opening theme starts up. |
| 38 | * ''Manga/{{Pretear}}'' starts off every episode with a cold opening that sets up the plot, or occasionally provides a recap of the end of the last episode--except for the last two episodes, which [[TitleOnlyOpening don't have an opening at all]]. |
| 39 | * ''[[Manga/HarukanaruTokiNoNakaDe Harukanaru Toki no Naka de - Hachiyou Shou]]'' has Fuji-hime's OpeningNarration in the first few episodes, after which it switches to regular cold openings, with the first scene placed before the theme song. |
| 40 | * ''Manga/ElfenLied'''s first episode puts a pretty original spin on this. Naked girl killing everyone in sight -- ROLL OPENING -- Guy moving into house. And then they put it all together! |
| 41 | * Both ''Anime/GhostInTheShell1995'' and its sequel ''Innocence'' have a brief scene culminating in [[ActionPrologue an intense action sequence]] before breaking into an opening credits sequence with [[OminousLatinChanting Ominous Japanese Chanting]]. They leave a pretty strong impression. |
| 42 | * ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' is using cold opens more and more lately. More often than not, said clips are from the actual episode. |
| 43 | * ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'' uses cold opens for all but the last episode, and for TheMovie as well. ''[[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood]]'' occasionally uses cold opens, but more often does not. |
| 44 | * The second season of ''Manga/GunslingerGirl'' uses cold openings. |
| 45 | * Every episode of ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' begins with its ominous OpeningNarration, usually followed by a recap of the previous episode. |
| 46 | * ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'' uses cold openings. |
| 47 | * Two of the four Director's Cut episodes of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' feature cold openings (while one of them cuts out the opening credits entirely). What makes this odd is that these are never used in any other part of the show. |
| 48 | * ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'' does this in one episode of the anime focusing on the [[Characters/GintamaShinsengumi Shinsengumi]], when the story eventually comes around to Gintoki he complains that the TitleSequence hasn't even rolled. Then the entire opening plays, ''in the middle of the episode.'' |
| 49 | * ''Anime/MekakucityActors'': |
| 50 | ** Several episodes open on Shintaro and Ayano sitting in a world full of clockwork gears, talking vaguely about how he's 'forgotten it all again' and how she will 'tell him the story, one more time'. The cold open in this case works so well in part [[MindScrew because of how confusing it is.]] |
| 51 | ** Episodes 6 and 7 (which are primarily {{Flashback}}s) open with [[spoiler:Takane/Ene running through the city as it is destroyed]] and [[spoiler:Takane finally reaching the hospital to see if Haruka is alright]], respectively. |
| 52 | ** Any Episode that opens with an InsertSong counts too. |
| 53 | * Manga/OnePiece began using cold opens during the Water Seven arc, but this quickly stopped when the series introduced super long opening credits. Often these would repeat the last few minutes of the previous episode as the anime had OverTookTheManga. |
| 54 | * ''Anime/YokaiWatch'' uses cold openings. The episodes that consists of 1 or 2 segments show a few minutes of the first segment before the introductory sequence centering on the Yo-kai Watch itself, which then leads to the opening theme. Meanwhile, the episodes that consists of 3 or 4 segments shows the entire first segment (usually 5 minutes long) before the introductory sequence. |
| 55 | * ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' uses cold openings, with the exception of a few episodes. |
| 56 | * ''Manga/MysteriousJoker'' uses cold openings only in a few episodes of Season 2, and so far the first episode of Season 3. |
| 57 | * ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2017'' usually uses cold openings, aside from the 5th and 24th episode, where the opening sequence starts before any preceding clip. |
| 58 | * ''Kemurikusa'' uses cold opens regularly, including one that goes on for over 11 minutes! |
| 59 | [[/folder]] |
| 60 | |
| 61 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 62 | * ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'': In chapter five of ''Fables: Legends in Exile'' there's a monologue by Bigby before the credits, title, and the "InWhichATropeIsDescribed". |
| 63 | * ''ComicBook/GlobalFrequency'': Each issue would usually end with the title in a "closing credits" fashion. |
| 64 | * ''ComicBook/KickAss'': The first few panels show Kick-Ass being tortured by men in suits in the opening, and begins a narrative... |
| 65 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirlsMovie'': The DC Comics adaptation reserves its credits for the very last page. |
| 66 | * ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'' would sometimes spend half an issue on a cold opening, or even wait until the last page to introduce the title and credits. Mostly, however, it stuck to a three-to-four-page intro, then the title. |
| 67 | * ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': A classic issue was promoted as the issue in which [[TonightSomeoneDies someone would die]], didn't have its title section until the very end: "ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied''. |
| 68 | ** Except that if you look closely at the cover of said comic, there appears to be a spotlight on Gwen's face, practically revealing that she's gonna die. |
| 69 | * ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'': While not framed as a teaser, each issue starts InMediasRes, and the chapter title only appears as an [[{{Epigraph}} intertitle]] several pages in. |
| 70 | [[/folder]] |
| 71 | |
| 72 | [[folder:Eastern Animation]] |
| 73 | * ''Animation/NuPogodi'' uses these for every episode. Each of these ends with Wolf delivering his CatchPhrase ("Just you wait, hare!") just before the opening titles blare. |
| 74 | [[/folder]] |
| 75 | |
| 76 | [[folder:Films — Animation]] |
| 77 | * The title card of ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' follows a majestic scene of Simba's parents presenting him to their subjects. In the DVD commentary, the directors recall they feared audiences would not read the simplistic title card after enjoying such an epic song. |
| 78 | ** Some Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon movies actually begin this way, starting with ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuers''. Others include ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'', ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective'', ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'', ''The Rescuers Down Under'', ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'', ''WesternAnimation/ChickenLittle'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Bolt}}'', ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}''. |
| 79 | ** Pixar examples include the first ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'' film, ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'', ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', ''WesternAnimation/Cars1'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'', ''WesternAnimation/WallE'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'', ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'', and ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed''. |
| 80 | ** Non-animated canon examples include ''WesternAnimation/Dougs1stMovie'' and ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut''. |
| 81 | * ''Anime/PatlaborTheMovie'' opens with the scene of [[BigBad Eiichi Hoba]]'s suicide, then the opening credits roll over the JSDF fighting a combat Labor through a forest, only for it to turn out to be unmanned once it's immobilized and opened up. Only then do we meet up with the actual protagonists at Special Vehicles. |
| 82 | [[/folder]] |
| 83 | |
| 84 | [[folder:Films — Live-Action]] |
| 85 | * The ''Film/JamesBond'' movies almost always start with an introductory sequence (usually an ActionPrologue, often [[BatmanColdOpen unrelated to the main plot]]), the exception being [[Film/DrNo the very first]], which follows the BondGunBarrel with the credits. |
| 86 | * ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'': |
| 87 | ** The title card of ''Film/IronMan1'' is preceded by Tony Stark's capture by Afghan rebels [[spoiler: using weapons he developed himself]]. The movie then backtracks 36 hours to show a story-within-a-story recap of Tony's life and an introduction to his playboy ways. |
| 88 | ** In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'', the Marvel Studios VanityPlate appears ''after'' the opening scene telling Peter Quill's origins. |
| 89 | ** ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' began with a scene in 1991, depicting one of the Winter Soldier's early missions. |
| 90 | ** ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' places the prologue establishing the Vulture's origins in between the Creator/ColumbiaPictures and Marvel Studios logos. |
| 91 | *** ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'' repeats this with Nick Fury and Maria Hill [[spoiler: (actually [[Film/CaptainMarvel2019 Talos and Soren]])]] investigating a destroyed Mexican village before encountering Quentin Beck and Sandman. |
| 92 | ** ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' starts with a 10-minute sequence on the Asgardian refugee ship after the Marvel Studios VanityPlate appears. Only after this sequence does the title card appear, accompanied by the Avengers {{Leitmotif}}. |
| 93 | ** ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', uniquely, doesn't open on the Marvel Studios logo. Instead, it opens on a scene of Clint with his family just before the end of ''Infinity War'', wherein Thanos's Snap causes him to lose his wife, two sons, and daughter. After that, the Marvel Studios logo sequence plays, and then there's another couple of scenes of Tony and Nebula getting back to Earth and the remaining Avengers rallying to track down Thanos, before the opening title. |
| 94 | ** ''Film/{{Eternals}}'' begins with the Eternals waking up on their ship and landing on Earth in 5,000 BCE. In {{Establishing Character Moment}}s, the five combat-oriented team members defend the humans of Mesopotamia from Deviants, and after the Deviants are killed, the remaining Eternals arrive to heal up the team and interact with the humans. The last scene before the cut to the Marvel Studios logo is Sersi giving a boy a decorated knife as a gift. |
| 95 | * ''Film/TheDeparted'' also had no opening credits. When the title finally appeared ''18 and a half minutes later'', you wonder why they even bothered. |
| 96 | * ''Film/GingerSnaps'' opens with the murder of a neighborhood dog, and an introduction to the characters of Ginger and Brigitte before launching into the title credits. |
| 97 | * The opening credits of ''Film/EternalSunshineOfTheSpotlessMind'' are roughly 15 minutes into the movie. |
| 98 | * The film ''Film/RaisingArizona'' goes through a 10:43 [=cold open=], setting up the story and introducing us to (nearly) all the characters. |
| 99 | * ''Film/{{Serenity}}'' has a four-part chain of opening sequences, before finally getting to a title card - that fades into the insignia on the titular vessel's side. |
| 100 | * ''[[Film/TheValleyofGwangi The Valley of Gwangi]]'' opens with a search party discovering a man who promptly collapses and moans the word "Gwangi..." before dying. Cut to title/credits sequence. |
| 101 | * ''[[Film/OneHundredAndTwentySevenHours 127 Hours]]'' does not display its title card until roughly 20 minutes into the film, immediately after Aron's arm gets pinned by a rock. |
| 102 | * The opening of ''Film/MysteryTeam'' shows the eponymous trio harassing a comatose man, suspecting him of murder. |
| 103 | * Each of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' film runs the main title immediately following the VanityPlate, but the instalment title follows a prologue. The first one gave a few thousand years' worth of {{backstory}}, the other two were more standard {{flashback}}s. The director deliberately wanted to emulate a James Bond teaser for the first film, which resulted in an epic battle scene that would be called back to in the climaxes of parts two and three. |
| 104 | ** Ditto with ''[[Film/TheHobbitAnUnexpectedJourney The Hobbit]]'''s first installment, with an epic backstory opening. |
| 105 | * In ''Film/PulpFiction'', the scene where "Pumpkin" and "Honeybunny" have a conversation at a diner goes on for over four minutes before the opening credits come up. |
| 106 | * HORSE the Band's 10.5 hour 'Earth Tour' epic drops the title sequence directly following a character commenting that "the real tour starts here." This occurs ''two hours'' in. |
| 107 | * Zack Snyder's ''[[Film/DawnOfTheDead2004 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead]]'' takes its time setting up the main character's life before the apocalypse, then follows her on a mad sprint out of her disintegrating neighborhood while being chased by her zombified husband. It's only once when her car skids down a ravine and smacks into a tree that we SmashToBlack and Johnny Cash plays in the TitleSequence. |
| 108 | * ''Film/TropicThunder'' treats it a little differently, featuring an advertisement and a series of trailers before the movie that establish four of the characters (Alpa Chino, Tugg Speedman, Kirk Lazarus, and Jeff Portnoy) and the current state of their careers. |
| 109 | * ''Film/FightClub'' opens with a close up (cellular level) of how the human body sweats before zooming out to show Edward Norton with a gun between his teeth with a voice over saying "People are always asking me if I known Tyler Durden". The rest of the film from then on is a recap of the last year or so of his life to how he ended up in that position. |
| 110 | * ''Film/WarCraft2016'' opens with a scene of a faceless human and an equally faceless orc in a DuelToTheDeath by the Portal. The rest of the movie is pretty much one big HowWeGotHere, although the scene is never revisited. |
| 111 | * ''Film/WhileTheCitySleeps'' opens with the first murder victim of the Lipstick Killer. |
| 112 | * ''Film/TuckerAndDaleVsEvil'' plays with this. The cold open, showing a [[DeadLineNews TV reporter]] and her cameraman being murdered by a disfigured slasher, actually occurs after all the events of the film, and it's left entirely to the viewer to realise later or on a second viewing, that it's actually a TheEndOrIsIt. |
| 113 | * ''Film/{{Mirrors|2008}}'' starts the movie with a security guard getting attacked by the evil forces of the mirror, before cutting the the opening credits. The same happens in the second movie. |
| 114 | * ''Film/TheGravedancers'' opens with a young woman being attacked and murdered by a ghost. This scene has no bearing on anything else that happens in the film. WordOfGod from director Mike Mendez that this scene is the result of ExecutiveMeddling from the producers, who wanted a death in the opening scene so audiences would know it was a horror movie. |
| 115 | * ''Film/{{Midsommar}}'' opens with firemen discovering a family dead from carbon monoxide poisoning and sets the tone properly for the rest of the movie. |
| 116 | * The ''Film/{{Scream}}'' franchise typically opens its movies with a [[DeadStarWalking big-name actress]] getting attacked by the Ghostface killer before the title card hits. |
| 117 | * ''Film/WhenAManLovesAWoman'' opens with Alice (Creator/MegRyan) sitting in a café in the afternoon as a random guy tries to pick her up when Michael (Creator/AndyGarcia) interrupts by asking her to take care of his laundry, pretending to be some random guy who will bake her carrot cake in exchange for this favor. [[BaitAndSwitch Then it turns out they're actually married]], and the guy moves on to another woman. This takes place for five minutes, after which we get the opening credits. Near the end of the movie, Michael again pretends to be some random guy when approaching Alice in a public place. |
| 118 | * ''Film/Babylon2022'' opens up with Manny attempting to bring an elephant to a big, unbridled party. The title card doesn’t come up until ''32 minutes'' in. |
| 119 | |
| 120 | [[/folder]] |
| 121 | |
| 122 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 123 | * Just like in TV's ''Literature/CrimeAndPunishmentSeries'', any number of [[MysteryFiction Mystery Novels]] open with a murder (depicted so as to conceal the murderer), before the narrative centering on the detective starts. |
| 124 | * Books [[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone 1]], [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire 4]], [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince 6]], and [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows 7]] of ''Literature/HarryPotter'' start with such a chapter. In fact, the sixth double-stacks. |
| 125 | * ''Literature/MurderAndTheWantonBride'' starts out with a chapter from the POV of a Mr. Carson, who is murdered at the end of that chapter. Chapter 2 picks up with the regular protagonist of the book series, HardboiledDetective Michael Shayne, who will soon be investigating the Carson murder. |
| 126 | * ''Literature/ShamanBlues'' starts with the hero taking a ShowerOfAngst after a ghost-banishment he describes in detail during his shower. |
| 127 | [[/folder]] |
| 128 | |
| 129 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 130 | * American daytime soap operas began using teasers in the 1960s to resolve (or sometimes extend) the previous episode's cliffhanger or set up the storylines for the day. Since the mid-1970s, all soaps have used teasers, with the exception of ABC soaps from 1998 to 2003. |
| 131 | ---- |
| 132 | * The first season of ''Series/ThreeTwoOneContact''. |
| 133 | * Every episode of ''Series/{{Alias}}'' has a 15 minute teaser, so that they can not only recap the story (PreviouslyOn), but also have a prologue. |
| 134 | ** ''Series/{{Alias}}'', with its tongue very firmly in its cheek, decided to take advantage of having the Super Bowl as LeadIn in "Phase One". |
| 135 | * Both ''Series/TheApprentice'' and ''Series/{{Survivor}}'' did not use a cold open to begin with, but they adopted this practice later (''Apprentice'' started this practice around season 4, with ''Survivor'' doing this with the Fiji season). |
| 136 | * ''Series/BabylonFive'' does this every episode as a setup for the plot of that episode. |
| 137 | * ''Series/BandOfBrothers'' mostly avoids the cold opening, except for one or two episodes that start with the interviews of the RealLife veterans. In most other episodes these interviews came immediately after the TitleSequence. |
| 138 | * The 1966 ''Series/Batman1966'' series alternates between this and PreviouslyOn. |
| 139 | ** The alternating was no coincidence: the series usually offered two-episode stories, with the first having a cold open, the second reminding the viewer of what happened last week in the same story. |
| 140 | * BBC's Politics UK would have a 5-second one where the host introduces themselves. |
| 141 | * All forms of UK ''Series/BigBrother'' [[SpinOff Spin Offs]] had some cold open element- notably in the case of ''Big Mouth'' where that episode's guests would usually be introduced in some nonsensical-[[OnceAnEpisode but-consistent]] fashion. |
| 142 | * ''Series/{{Bonanza}}'': From episode 1 until the Season 13 finale in 1972, episodes began with a teaser opening act, which always set up the main plot of the show, prior to the opening credits. The final season switched these two, i.e., they began with the opening credits before going to the teaser. |
| 143 | * Every episode of ''Series/{{Bones}}'' has a cold open where the characters discover the body. This is usually done in a dark comedic fashion. (Ex. A teenage couple getting naked in a mud spring where a corpse lies beneath.) |
| 144 | * ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'' used this once, in Season 5's "No Guts, No Cory" by playing the opening titles after the setting had shifted from 1997 to December 9, 1941 & Mr Feeny had made the anouncement that Pearl Harbour had been bombed. The episode itself was part of a crossover between the TGIF shows in which ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'''s Salem had swallowed a ball that sent the to a different time period, and proceeded to run amok by heading to the other shows in the line-up. |
| 145 | * ''Series/BreakingBad'' used these to great effect in multiple ways besides as the continuation of the previous episode's cliffhanger. The first two seasons mostly use straight cold opens (though one is a music video about Walt's Heisenberg persona) but seasons 3, 4, and 5 frequently featured flashbacks that feature a dead character, added depth to the series' world, shed light on certain themes of that episode, or [[FlashForward showed[=/=]alluded to an event that occurred later in the episode]] but without context to make the viewers guess what happened and how it got to the point. |
| 146 | ** In a particularly brutal case: season 5, episode 14 - the climax of the series - runs through its entire first act before the opening titles. |
| 147 | * Done in every episode of ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'', with plot relevance ranging from "introduces the entire plot" to "sets up a BrickJoke later on in the episode" to "[[BigLippedAlligatorMoment never gets mentioned again]]". |
| 148 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' has one every episode, generally setting up the plot and whatnot (some can be a bit deceiving, though). The only episode that lacks one is the season four finale, "Restless", mostly due to the episode being ''that'' MindScrew-y. |
| 149 | * Every episode of ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}'' opens with an extreme close up of a dead body before it is discovered or investigated, usually with some kind of ironic music/pop song. |
| 150 | * ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' always had a teaser unrelated to the main plot of the episode. |
| 151 | * ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' had only one for "Same Time, Next Year" where Olivia came into Cliff's bedroom wearing a Bart Simpson mask (a TakeThat to the show's ratings battle with ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' on Thursday nights). |
| 152 | * Similar to ''Series/LawAndOrder'', ''Series/{{CSI}}'' does this, often showing a bystanders view of the murder or the (attempted) [[DisposingOfABody disposal of the body]] or someone finding said body. Like Lenny Briscoe, [[QuipToBlack Gil Grissom (or D.B. Russel after season 11)]] almost always gets to say the OneLiner before the opening credits. The spinoffs are the same way. |
| 153 | * ''Series/DoctorWho'' has used it in the show consistently since the 2005 revival, often with someone getting killed by a monster before the cliffhanger "scream" of the theme music. |
| 154 | ** It appeared only five times before 2005 — [[Recap/DoctorWhoS7E3TheAmbassadorsOfDeath "The Ambassadors of Death"]] (which also debuted the electronic scream sound the show's theme music is famous for including), [[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E1Castrovalva "Castrovalva"]], [[Recap/DoctorWho20thASTheFiveDoctors "The Five Doctors"]] (consisting of a clip from a previous story to allow the late William Hartnell to make an appearance), [[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E1TimeAndTheRani "Time and the Rani"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks "Remembrance of the Daleks"]]; instead, the original run of ''Doctor Who'' used the first episodes of a serial to fulfill the same function as a cold open. |
| 155 | ** It isn't the coldest opening because (until series 6 in 2011) BBC guidelines required their logo to be placed at the beginning of every episode. |
| 156 | ** The award for longest teaser would have to go to [[Recap/DoctorWho2016CSTheReturnOfDoctorMysterio "The Return of Doctor Mysterio"]], at 9 minutes 5 seconds. |
| 157 | ** During Creator/RussellTDavies' tenure as showrunner, episodes introducing a new main companion would forego a teaser — specifically, [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E1Rose "Rose"]] (the first episode of the new series), [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E1SmithAndJones "Smith and Jones"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E1PartnersInCrime "Partners in Crime"]]. The practice was abandoned when Creator/StevenMoffat took over. |
| 158 | ** 50[[superscript:th]] anniversary special [[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor "The Day of the Doctor"]] doesn't have a teaser, instead beginning with [[SpecialEditionTitle the original title sequence from 1963]]. |
| 159 | ** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E9SleepNoMore "Sleep No More"]] is the first episode in the show's history not to have the TitleSequence. Instead, the end of the episode's teaser is signified by a brief flash of credits. |
| 160 | ** Creator/ChrisChibnall's tenure mostly eschewed teasers, with Series 11 featuring none at all and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E1TheWomanWhoFellToEarth "The Woman Who Fell to Earth"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWho2019NYSResolution "Resolution"]] [[CloseOnTitle closing on their titles]] and thus without the TitleSequence. Series 12 began to have a few episodes with teasers (both parts of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS38E1E2Spyfall "Spyfall"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS38E7CanYouHearMe "Can You Hear Me?"]]), but most still lacked them. |
| 161 | * Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}'s ''[[Series/DoubleDare1986 Double Dare]]'' was perhaps the only game show to use a cold open; every episode began with the contestants [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyMcTFg963w performing a "Physical Challenge"]], followed by the show's introduction. |
| 162 | ** So did ''Series/RemoteControl'', ''Series/SingledOut'' and possibly ''Series/{{Trashed}}''. |
| 163 | * ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'' has one every episode, with a segment where the title characters tell a story to the audience. |
| 164 | * ''Series/TheDrewCareyShow'' often used its teasers for bizarre stand-alone skits apart from the show's continuity, such as having a guest appearance by [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Daffy Duck]] or Drew battling invading aliens. The best known of these are the various dance sequences, two of which ended up being used for the opening theme. |
| 165 | * ''Series/TheElectricCompany2009'' usually features a cold open introducing the plot, ending with one of the Company members yelling "Hey, you guys!!" |
| 166 | * ''Series/{{ER}}'' cold openers generally focus on interpersonal ties (more than the hustle and bustle of the meat of the show could, anyway). A 12th season episode, "The Gallant Hero & the Tragic Victor", actually kills off a main character in the teaser. |
| 167 | * ''Series/{{Eureka}}'' often starts with something going wrong. And then goes on for a good period of time after. Probably about ten minutes. |
| 168 | * ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' had one in every episode, either to set up the plot or theme of the episode, or, sometimes, just to have a joke at the characters' expense. Each one would always end with the crew being attacked, captured, or put in some other form of distress, causing the music to turn into the opening of the ThemeSong. |
| 169 | * ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' uses this to introduce any background story or an important event for each episode. |
| 170 | * ''Series/GameOfThrones'' features a literal [[{{Pun}} Cold]] [[ColdOpen Open]] in its pilot, showing three Night's Watchmen encountering the White Walkers. [[ColdOpen Open]] returns in Season 3 (literally, again) and Season 4 premieres, as well as in episode 7 of Season 6. |
| 171 | ** The fourth season premiere begins with a "PreviouslyOn" which ended on Ned Stark's execution in S1 by his own sword Ice which leads into a cold open with Tywin Lannister having the blade melted down and made into two and then throwing the scabbard into a fire, symbolizing the Lannisters' victory over the Starks. |
| 172 | ** Season 6, episode 7, interestingly, begins with a cold open to avoid spoiling itself: the episode begins with the return of long-thought-dead Sandor Clegane, whose actor, Rory [=McCann=], is listed in the opening credits. The opening was moved back a bit as to not spoil the surprise. |
| 173 | * ''Series/TheGeorgeLopezShow'' had some epically long teasers, to the point where you would get to what would seem like a logical point for the first act break, only for the show to cut to the title sequence. |
| 174 | * ''Series/GetSmart'' had one every episode. Several ended with {{Title Drop}}s. |
| 175 | * At least two ''Series/GettingTogether'' episodes, and most likely all the others, opened with one. |
| 176 | * ''Series/GoodOmens2019'' has a relatively typical short scene before the opening titles in each episode, however episode three opens with a sequence showing Crowley and Aziraphale meeting at various points throughout history that lasts about half an hour before the opening is eventually shown. |
| 177 | * ''Series/HereComeTheBrides'' started using these in the second season. |
| 178 | * ''Series/TheHexer'': The first episode opens with an unknown white-haired man fighting ''something'' in a bog or a landfill. He apparently slays the monster, but is badly wounded himself. Then the action cuts back, setting up stage for young Geralt and slowly starting his tale, back when he was still a human boy. The series eventually reach the same landfill in episode 5. |
| 179 | * ''Series/HomeImprovement'' started using cold opens in season 2. |
| 180 | * ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' would sometimes start with a standard cold opening in which the detectives start their investigation or some other plot point is introduced, but some would just be like sitcom openings - little sketches unrelated to the actual story. |
| 181 | * Every ''Series/HoneyWest'' episode opens with a teaser. |
| 182 | * Nearly every episode of ''Series/{{House}}'' starts with a cold open showing [[MysteryOfTheWeek the new patient getting sick]]. |
| 183 | ** The writers often try to make the patient unexpected by having someone show signs of illness before the ''real'' patient collapses. For example, at the beginning of one episode, Cuddy takes a drink of water and starts to cough; but in the background, another character suddenly ''falls off a roof''. |
| 184 | ** ''House'' even plays with double {{Red Herring}}s, such as the opening that follows a young girl diving off a high dive, who is motionless underwater for some time, and then resurfaces to see that someone else has collapsed. Then it's revealed that ''she'' wasn't the RedHerring, the other guy was: something is wrong with the diver after all. |
| 185 | * ''Series/ICarly'' will in most episodes, feature either a random segment from the webshow, or set up the plot using the webshow. |
| 186 | * ''Series/InPlainSight'' shows the Witsec client of the week and how they ended up having to join Witsec in the first place in the teasers. |
| 187 | * Every episode of ''Series/JandaKembang'' starts with a cold open introducing some characters (the first episode) or following up the ending of the previous one (the others). |
| 188 | * All the ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'' shows use a cold open, with a stock opening title card and narration. The action is either the crime itself or the discovery of a body, and thirty seconds of the detectives opening the investigation. While Creator/JerryOrbach was still with us, almost always ended on a Lenny Briscoe OneLiner. |
| 189 | ** ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' rarely showed the main cast in the teaser during the first five seasons. It happened more frequently after original showrunner René Balcer left. |
| 190 | * 16 out of the first 17 episodes of ''Series/LeaveItToBeaver'' had an opening narration to set up the episode done by Hugh Beaumont. The shortest one, from the episode "New Neighbors", went: "To a growing boy boy there are some emotions you can take in your stride. Love. Anger. But fear can play havoc with your little imagination. And that's our story tonight on ''Leave It To Beaver''." |
| 191 | * ''{{Series/Lexx}}'' only used these in the fourth season. |
| 192 | * ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': The last episode of season 1, after the recap takes place, the episode opens up with a scene of the Stranger meeting the three worshippers of Sauron, before the Opening Credits starting to appear. |
| 193 | * ''Series/{{Lost}}'' always begins with a teaser that establishes the episode's central character, often going into the first flashback/forward before the title card. Some teasers have been over ten minutes, such as "Exodus, Part 2". |
| 194 | * The teasers on ''Series/TheLWord'' are usually set anywhere from a year to several decades in the past, featuring characters we've never met before, but they always end up tying in with what goes on in the episode. |
| 195 | * Early episodes of ''Series/MacGyver1985'' started with an unrelated short adventure. This practice was dropped pretty quickly. |
| 196 | * ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' was well-known for its cold opens that were completely unrelated to the episode's plot (except for the first episodes of seasons 2 and 6, respectively). The only episodes not to use them are the second parts of two-part episodes, and even the series finale uses one. Unfortunately, they are usually cut out in reruns. |
| 197 | * Most ''Series/MannAndMachine'' episodes open with a short scene shot from Eve's perspective before the opening credits. |
| 198 | * ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'' always opened with a teaser. |
| 199 | * Every ''Series/MiamiVice'' episode opens with one, ranging in length from about two to eight minutes. |
| 200 | * ''Series/MondayNightRaw'' has occasionally opened with a teaser, before jumping into the title sequence. Monday Nitro, by contrast, seemed to do it every other week for awhile. Particularly when the nWo storyline was running. |
| 201 | * ''Series/{{Monk}}'' usually begins with the murder being committed. |
| 202 | * ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' has the title sequence start after a man walked up to the screen and said "It's...". This was usually only a few seconds but was sometimes stretched out long enough to be considered a ColdOpening. It also must have set the record for the longest one ever in "Scott of the Antarctic" where the man and the title sequence didn't show up until ''halfway through the episode''. Or perhaps not: In other episodes they waited until the ''very end'' to show the opening credits, and occasionally left them out altogether. Which could technically mean that the title credits in the ''next'' episode mark the end of the cold open... |
| 203 | * The first season (at least) of ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'' was a rare live-action primetime non-reality show that did ''not'' use a ColdOpening. |
| 204 | * ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' does the same. It works well with crime shows as the introduction of the episode's case usually fits right into the opening segment. (Beware, however, when the cold opening actually shows the main characters or the [[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs home base]] - it means that the case will directly involve them, as seen in "Bête noire".) The very same formula was also used in ''Series/{{JAG}}''. |
| 205 | * ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' opens with the intro, but every episode, except for "Talent Shows", had a short segment beforehand with the title card appearing as soon as Ned's problem arrived. |
| 206 | * The GuestHost series of ''Series/NeverMindTheBuzzcocks'' featured a cold open for most episodes, introducing this week's guest. |
| 207 | * ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' always has a short, one scene gag before the opening scene. |
| 208 | * ''Series/ThePartridgeFamily'' had a scene between the TitleSequence and the creator, writer, and directors' credits. |
| 209 | * ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' had one from ''[[Series/PowerRangersTurbo Turbo]]'' to ''[[Series/PowerRangersTimeForce Time Force]]''. It was dropped starting with ''[[Series/PowerRangersWildForce Wild Force]]'', but returned in ''[[Series/PowerRangersSamurai Samurai]]'' before being dropped again in ''[[Series/PowerRangersDinoFury Dino Fury]]''. |
| 210 | * ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'' has a cold opening that ends on a dramatic moment before going into "got a secret can you keep it" in every episode. |
| 211 | * In ''Series/{{Primeval}}'' it goes like this: RedShirt appears, [[TimePortal Anomaly appears]], MonsterOfTheWeek appears, Standard RedShirt Fate, [[ThemeSong Theme Music]]. |
| 212 | * ''Series/{{Psych}}'' normally begins with a clip of a young Shawn getting yelled at by his dad. |
| 213 | * The first episode of ''Series/PushingDaisies'' has a cold opening of ''13'' minutes. |
| 214 | * ''Series/RedDwarf'' did it for ''Stoke Me a Clipper''. |
| 215 | * The 1994 episodes of ''Series/TheRedGreenShow'' opened with Red commenting on a personality quirk of men, followed by "It's not smart or correct, but it's one of the things that makes us what we are." Later episodes had cold opens where Red would either tell a joke to the audience, or create a quick handyman project. |
| 216 | * ''Series/SapphireAndSteel'' actually delivered its teaser in the ''middle'' of the TitleSequence: a short sequence showing the title and stars was shown, followed by TheTeaser, after which the rest of the sequence (with the ThemeTune and OpeningNarration) was shown. Such a style of opening (title both before and after the cold open) is more common these days. "Pure" teasers only appeared in the first episode of each story, with later episodes reprising the events leading up to the previous episode's cliffhanger. |
| 217 | * The teasers on ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' kept getting larger and larger as time went on, to the point where they consistently ended up as long as any of the other acts of the show. |
| 218 | * ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' started to use cold opens as opposed to Jerry's stand-up routines around season 8. |
| 219 | * Each episode of ''Series/SixFeetUnder'' begins with the death of someone that the family will be working on in that episode, with a card displaying their name and dates of birth and death. |
| 220 | * The short-lived UPN show ''Series/SpecialUnit2'' always began with a short scene of the MonsterOfTheWeek's handiwork. |
| 221 | * ''Series/StargateSG1''and ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' feature these. |
| 222 | * ''Franchise/StarTrek''. Teasers could run as long as over six minutes ("Ship in a Bottle") to as short as under 20 seconds ("Impulse", "Scorpion"). |
| 223 | ** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' frequently opened with scenes that had nothing to do with the main plot, just some interaction between some characters before they get called to the bridge and the teaser ends with the ''real'' plotline of that episode. ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'' and ''[[Series/StarTrekVoyager Voyager]]'' did this to a lesser extent, but ''[[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Enterprise]]'' gave up on that practice entirely and featured teasers that were unusually short. |
| 224 | ** The TNG Episode "Cause and Effect" is ''particularly'' notable for having one of the most shocking teasers of all time- it opens with the ''Enterprise'' critically damaged, causing it to explode with all hands aboard 45 seconds into the episode. [[spoiler:The episode is about the ship being stuck in a GroundhogDayLoop which they eventually escape from alive.]] |
| 225 | * ''Series/Studio60OnTheSunsetStrip'' devoted its second episode to showcase the main characters working against the clock to create an effective cold open, eventually settling on a fourth-wall breaking rendition of "A Modern Major General" from ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance''. |
| 226 | * ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' always uses this to show the murder that the Winchesters will investigate in the episode. Even arc-related episodes have Teasers. Occasionally the Teaser is simply a recap of previous events before cutting away to the title card. |
| 227 | * ''Series/TeenWolf'' does this both before and after receiving an title sequence. From season 2 onward, each episode's cold open usually leads to a moment that seamlessly transitions into the intense theme song that plays. |
| 228 | ** A particular notable episode is the season 5 episode Damnatio Memoriae, when Liam pulls Hayden off a cliff and into a ravine. Hayden's scream as she gets yanked downward transitions chillingly into the theme song. |
| 229 | * ''Series/TetanggaMasaGitu'' usually starts with two opening scenes showing each couple having a similar situation, but showing [[BickeringCouplePeacefulCouple contrasting behavior towards their partners]]. Each scene ends with a counter of how long each couple have been married. |
| 230 | * ''Series/UFO1970'' uses a variation in which the opening theme tune montage plays ''without titles''. This is then followed by the opening scene, which ends with the title logo appearing as an animated overlay. The cast and production credits appear as captions in act one. One reason for this may have been the show's rotating cast, meaning that they couldn't use credits with a fixed cast list. |
| 231 | * ''Series/TheWayansBros'' had a cold open unrelated to the plot every episode. |
| 232 | * ''Series/TheWestWing'' nearly always has a few minutes-long opening scene before the credits that can vary greatly in style from episode to episode. Most often, it is a set-up of one or more of the headaches the characters will have to deal with, and/or a recap of various issues that have come up within the last few episodes or the current season, usually titled "''Previously, on The West Wing''". Other times, it is a self-contained scene that is only loosely attached to the plotline; a humorous episode-related clip that ends on a gag of some kind; or simply a shortened extra act. Only a handful of episodes in the ''entire'' series have not a ColdOpening, immediately opening with the credits and the episode title, throwing the audience into cold water. |
| 233 | * ''Series/TheWire'' usually has cold openings that are not related to the main story as such, but instead work as metaphors or thematic commentaries on the episode or the characters themselves. |
| 234 | * The Russian mini-series ''Wolf Messing: Seeing through time'' starts the pilot with the titular character's performance in Moscow and a disturbing vision about the death of UsefulNotes/JosefStalin's son in a plane crash. He informs Stalin about this, who promises that the crash will not happen. Later, Messing finds out that the crash still happened, but Stalin's son wasn't on the flight. The HeroicBSOD flows into a flashback of how he got to this point, starting with his childhood in a Polish village. |
| 235 | * ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' got a bit carried away with 'em sometimes: a teaser could be up to five minutes long. |
| 236 | [[/folder]] |
| 237 | [[folder:Podcasts]] |
| 238 | * Podcast/TheAdventureZoneSteeplechase: Episodes start with an introduction by a fictional culture blogger named Crystal Withakay. [[spoiler: Near the end of the campaign, she realizes she's being monitored by Steeplechase corporate and is replaced during the cold open of the following episode.]] |
| 239 | * ''Podcast/FallOfCivilizations'': Each episode opens with someone encountering the ruins of the civilization long after it has totally collapsed. |
| 240 | * Ice hockey podcast ''Podcast/MarekVsWyshynski''; the hour-long show runs anywhere from seven to ''twenty five'' minutes before the title opening of the show is finally played. |
| 241 | * The cold open of ''Podcast/JayAndMilesXPlainTheXMen'' generally begins with a simple (and not that relevant to the episode proper) question about comicbook continuity, which gets a weird answer, which prompts another question, which gets a weirder answer, and this goes on until the whole thing escalates into a BigWhat or rarely FlatWhat. |
| 242 | [[/folder]] |
| 243 | [[folder:Puppet Shows]] |
| 244 | * For a while ''WebVideo/TheFundayPawpetShow'' used thirty second cold openings featuring people such as ''Music/TroutFishingInAmerica'', Ben Franklin, and the cast of ''Series/BetweenTheLions'' saying variations of "Hi, I'm/We're ____ and your wasting your time watching ''WebVideo/TheFundayPawpetShow''. |
| 245 | * ''Series/TheMuppetShow'': Each episode from seasons 2-4 would begin with Scooter knocking on the guest star's dressing room door, calling the star's name, and announcing the number of seconds remaining until curtain time. Scooter's appearance was then followed by a short quip or visual gag involving the guest star. In season 5, the cold open was changed to show the guest star entering the theater and talking briefly to Pops. |
| 246 | ** Similarly, ''Series/MuppetsTonight'' also used cold openings, which, unlike ''The Muppet Show'', didn't always take place in the same location or always have the guest star. |
| 247 | * ''Series/SesameStreet'' used cold opens during the 1990s (during seasons 23-29 from 1991-1998). Afterwards, all episodes since season 35 feature recurring pre-title segments which serve the same function. |
| 248 | [[/folder]] |
| 249 | |
| 250 | [[folder:Sports]] |
| 251 | * The ''UsefulNotes/OlympicGames'' are an example of this in a way. At least in the Summer games, UsefulNotes/{{Soccer}} usually starts a day or two before the opening ceremonies; justified due to the way the tournament structure works. |
| 252 | [[/folder]] |
| 253 | |
| 254 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 255 | * ''Call Me Madam'' preceded the OpeningChorus with a brief scene showing Mrs. Sally Adams being sworn in as ambassador to Lichtenburg. |
| 256 | * ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' begins before the Overture/Act 1 starts, with a brief Prologue set in 1919. Pieces of the (now closed) Opera House are put up for Auction. An older version of Raoul and Madame Giry bid on items that foreshadow the events of the Musical. The prologue is mostly spoken, with only Raoul singing briefly in the scene. |
| 257 | [[/folder]] |
| 258 | |
| 259 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 260 | * ''VideoGame/ANNOMutationem'': The story starts off with an NGOSuperpower launching a {{nuke|em}} at an EldritchLocation before shifting to Ann, the protagonist, heading out to perform combat training as part of the [[JustifiedTutorial tutorial]]. Then later, Ann finds out her brother has gone missing, following [[InSceneTitleText the title]] appearing above [[NeonCity Noctis City]] prior to the start of first major area. |
| 261 | * ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' displays its title card as you take the elevator up to the surface after the prologue. It also appears [[CloseOnTitle before the credits roll]]. |
| 262 | * ''VideoGame/Halo4'' begins with a short prologue cutscene, followed by the first mission. Only after the first mission is complete does the title card appear on the screen. |
| 263 | * ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'' doesn't display the title card until the conclusion of Act 1. This makes more sense if you strictly follow the main plot and get to the end of Act 1 within a few hours. But since it gives you access to a decent portion of the game's open world after the prologue, this can lead to the absurd situation where you see the title card after playing the game for over 20 hours. |
| 264 | * ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' displays the title upon leaving the Ruins, the first area, as well as [[{{Bookends}} at the end when leaving the Underground through a similar black void and gate]]. This is also the case in the demo which only contains the Ruins, making it CloseOnTitle there. |
| 265 | * ''VideoGame/{{XenoGears}}'': The DistantPrologue begins with a MileLongShip coming under siege from an unknown entity before the SelfDestructMechanism is activated to make it crash onto the planet. TheReveal of what actually occurred happens near the endgame. |
| 266 | * ''VideoGame/DeusExTheFall'' opens up with the tutorial mission through the Mafia hideout and Ben's defection from the Tyrants before the title sequence. |
| 267 | * ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' opens with a helicopter pursuit with the player taking control of a helicopter gunner before it jumps to a flashback sequence, the title, and the beginning of the story proper. [[spoiler: Later in the game you play this helicopter gunner section again and after surreal things happen as a result of Walker's SanitySlippage, and Walker remarks how he's done this before.]] |
| 268 | * ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxSaveTheWorld'' featured two episodes with cutscenes as cold openings. In ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxBeyondTimeAndSpace'', every episode but one had a playable cold opening. ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxHitTheRoad'' also featured a cold opening, before the "Pleasantly Understated Credit Sequence". |
| 269 | * Creator/LucasArts likes this one, they've done similar things in several of their point and click adventure games, such as ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheFateOfAtlantis''. |
| 270 | * ''VideoGame/TalesOfMonkeyIsland'', developed by [=LucasArts=] and Creator/TelltaleGames, is the first game in the ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'' series to have playable cold openings in five chapters... sort of. Chapter 1, for example, has a playable intro that can be accomplished with help from instructions before the main title starts. Chapter 3 has a VERY long playable cold opening consisting of a few tasks and an "Answer the question" minigame before the chapter's title starts. Chapter 4, on the other hand, only has the shortest playable cold opening, where you only have to select a topic before the chapter's title starts. |
| 271 | * Most of the games in the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series open with an action sequence or other story based sequence before the opening credits and logo come up. The original has a Cold Open with a plot remarkably similar to some entire games: "Oh, good, the heroes are here. The princess has been kidnapped. Take care of that, would you?" The plot only gets going ''after'' you rescue Her Majesty and acquire the Lute. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' begins by asking you to pick your character's name and birthdate, followed by a beautiful SceneryPorn introduction, with the title appearing midway through the FMV sequence. |
| 272 | * ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''; |
| 273 | ** After ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'', the games all following have had a short montage that recapped what happened, and then a scene afterwards that doesn't make much sense unless you know certain things...sometimes you won't discover secrets until you've played different games in the series, and not just the main ones. |
| 274 | ** ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII KH2]]'' has [[BigBad Xemnas]] and [[DecoyProtagonist Roxas']] cryptic conversation on the Dark Beach. [[spoiler: Xemnas tells Roxas that he went to see "him". Him is Sora, the main protagonist of the series. Roxas is the Nobody of Sora. Xemnas fights Sora as a bonus boss in ''Kingdom Hearts Final Mix'', available only on the 1.5 version in English, so the cutscene wouldn't make sense unless you know about the bonus boss.]] |
| 275 | ** ''Birth By Sleep'' shows [[TheFaceless the back of a young man]] standing at Destiny Islands, commenting that it was "too small". Later in the game, it becomes clear this man [[spoiler: is [[BigBad Master Xehanort]] before he became a Keyblade Bearer.]] |
| 276 | ** ''358/2 Days'' begins with Saix's quote from ''Kingdom Hearts II'' about the Heartless while panning through Where Nothing Gathers, showing every single member of the Organization before settling on Roxas, then cutting to a scene of he and Axel wondering if he really doesn't have heart and playing the themesong...an odd subversion is that instead of a recap montage of Sora and co., they instead do a countdown of the Organization. [[spoiler: Axel is wondering if Roxas has a heart because he seems to genuinely feel emotion. A playthrough of Birth By Sleep will reveal that Roxas inherited the heart of Ventus through Sora because had Ventus' heart as well as his own, and when he became a Heartless, creating Roxas, Ventus' heart became a part of Roxas as well, which is why Roxas looks like him and can wield light despite being a denizen of darkness.]] |
| 277 | ** ''Birth By Sleep'' is a prequel. It features no recap, but a montage of what they will go through...at one point, Terra's eyes randomly become amber in color...[[spoiler: that was an oh so subtle hint that at the end of this game he was going to go from [[http://cosplaymagiccom.x-shops.com/images/T/863-01.gif this]], [[http://images.wikia.com/kingdomhearts/images/3/3c/Terra_becoming_xehanort.png to]] [[http://images.wikia.com/kingdomhearts/images/7/74/Terranort_%26_Guardian.PNG this]], and then finally [[http://images.wikia.com/kingdomhearts/images/4/4d/Ansem_Render_%28Action%29_KHI.png this.]]]] |
| 278 | ** Going through all of the games' teasers would take a very, very, long time. And ''that's not even getting into the Heart Station Tutorials.'' |
| 279 | * Creator/BioWare has been moving in this direction lately. ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' has the Normandy SR-1 attacked & destroyed by an unidentified ship, with the opening title coming up after Shepard has been sent floating away from the wreckage & losing oxygen; and both ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' and ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' ran the tutorial sequence before the opening titles. |
| 280 | * The ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' games start off with Snake performing an infiltration and then cut to a credit sequence between 5-20 minutes into the game, as a [[SatireParodyPastiche pastiche]] of the ''Film/JamesBond'' movies which spawned the whole idea of them. In more detail: |
| 281 | ** In the first ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', you have to wait around in a dock area while the credits play, superimposed on the screen. When they're done you're free to enter the elevator to the next area, where Snake removes his mask and the logo comes up on screen as we see his face for the first time. |
| 282 | ** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' was more circumspect about it. The opening titles roll before the main menu comes up, and you play a mission on a Tanker (where, again, the title pops up as soon as we see Snake's face for the first time). It led many people into thinking it was the proper game - but it was a prologue, and the main meat of the game was later on, with a different main character. However, if you chose a specific option before starting the game, the game would skip the Tanker prologue & start with Raiden, the character who replaces Snake as the main character, going through a similar infiltration to the prior game, and the title appearing on the same cue. |
| 283 | ** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' was the most blatant. There was a very short, fifteen or twenty minute gameplay segment before the game started for real, heralded by a lengthy {{Cutscene}}, an offer to save, and the unlocking of the fantastic opening title movie, which played then and there and would now play every time the game was booted. The style of the opening sequence combined with the UsefulNotes/ColdWar setting and the timing clearly marked it out as a homage to Bond's delayed starts. |
| 284 | * Incredibly, the small-time web RPG ''VideoGame/{{Sonny}} 2'' pulls this off quite dramatically. After beginning the game ''in the [[InMediasRes middle of a battle]]'', it then proceeds with an opening cinematic and [[TitleSequence title card]] 5 minutes in. |
| 285 | * The original ''VideoGame/WildArms1'' game has the main characters go through their introductory stories and mutant powers roll call, travel abroad, get forced into working together, the death of one character's father, the end of the world, and then, mid processional, we get a short animatic of the father's funeral procession while credits roll. |
| 286 | * ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar 2'' has a playable section teaching players the ropes and "working out the ginks" before the TitleSequence. |
| 287 | * ''Lock & Key'', an award-winning InteractiveFiction game by Adam Cadre, uses one of these to establish its premise. What exactly happens is best experienced by playing it yourself. |
| 288 | * ''VideoGame/VagrantStory'' begins with a suspenseful infiltration and several battles; only after this does the title appear, with the sunrise in the background. |
| 289 | * ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' begins with a prologue narrated by Rin. After this, the main game begins with Shirou as narrator. Some scenes are even repeated from his perspective. |
| 290 | * In ''VideoGame/XMen2CloneWars'', the gameplay starts ''as soon as you power on the system.'' Only after clearing the first stage do the Sega logo and the title screen show up. |
| 291 | * The first mission and the following cutscenes until the 'ST-Voyager'-intro in ''[[VideoGame/StarTrekEliteForce Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force]]''. |
| 292 | * The video game adaption of ''Franchise/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'', ''VideoGame/EscapeFromButcherBay'' has a lengthy prologue/dream sequence with introduces you to the gameplay style before Riddick actually enters the prison with the title sequence. |
| 293 | * ''VideoGame/HeavyRain'' gives you about an hour before the title sequence rolls in. |
| 294 | * ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana'' has a normal title screen, but when you actually start the game, you play through your main character's prologue. At the climax of the prologue, your character hops on a boat (or swims across the ocean, in Kevin's case) to set off for adventure, and the credits roll over a tour of the entire world map. |
| 295 | * The first three ''Franchise/SlyCooper'' games feature some sort of "heist" prior to the first cutscene. |
| 296 | * Not counting [[spoiler: the whole Desmond recap and setting up a new Animus machine]], ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' goes through Ezio's birth, then cuts to when he was 17 and is in the middle of a big street brawl. Then he and his brother go around town (it's the tutorial) before having a race to see who can climb to the roof of the church fastest, before ending with a touching scene of them both looking out towards Firenze as Ezio's theme plays and the title drops. It's a potential TearJerker. |
| 297 | * ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' is notable for being the first game in the series to feature a playable teaser showing some plot critical events that occur nine years prior to the game's main story. The title and credits only appear once the player finishes the opening level. |
| 298 | * Oddly for a sports game, ''VideoGame/MaddenNFL 2015'' opens with the player controlling Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in a tutorial against the Seattle Seahawks. |
| 299 | * Each individual case in the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series opens with a brief prologue, either depicting the murder the case centers around or some other event relevant to the case at hand, [[SpoilerOpening nearly]] always in such a way as to keep the player guessing. |
| 300 | * ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' goes so far as to not even have a title screen. Booting up the game goes through the copyrights and developer logos as one might expect, then straight to the file selection menu. The game's title and logo displays only during the story introduction sequence when starting a new playthrough, at the end of a HowWeGotHere opening scene. The narration of said scene even accompanies the game's title displaying with a TitleDrop at the same time to boot. |
| 301 | * "Are you ready?" [[UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan The GOAT]] asks you this prior to walking out in ''[[VideoGame/NBA2K NBA 2K11]]'' for game 1 of the Bulls/Lakers Finals, with no title card, no practice mode, nothing, you are expected to be competent against Magic, Worthy, ect right off the bat. |
| 302 | * Impressively done with the NES game ''VideoGame/ViceProjectDoom'', as the first thing that happens upon powering up is a prompt to press start, followed by a story cutscene, a driving stage and another cutscene, before the title screen finally appears. |
| 303 | * The first time you open ''VideoGame/{{Bonfire}}'', you're thrown straight into the tutorial quest, with the story starting InMediasRes. It's not until you complete the tutorial that the heroes make camp around the titular bonfire, which forms the title screen of the game from then on. |
| 304 | * The main story mode for ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'' ("Return of the Mammalians") doesn't have the ''Splatoon 3'' title card appear until after you complete the Crater levels, as part of a meta-BaitAndSwitch regarding how the main campaign will be structured. The Crater plays out like a microcosm of the Hero Modes of prior installments, even ending with [[spoiler:a battle against DJ Octavio, who was the FinalBoss of those titles]], before the rest of the game takes on a more open, free-form approach similar to the second game's "Octo Expansion" DLC. |
| 305 | [[/folder]] |
| 306 | |
| 307 | [[folder:Web Comics]] |
| 308 | * An issue of ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' presented the title on page 46 -- right before the Doctor's [[SpoofAesop final thoughts]]. |
| 309 | * ''[[http://www.cowshell.com/cleopatra/ Cleopatra in Spaaace!]]'': Chapter one and part of chapter two. |
| 310 | * None of the stories of ''Webcomic/FifteenMinds'' so far have begun with the title. ''Legend of Legendary Mighty Knight'' got a title card on the second page, but in ''Blue Moon Blossom''[='s=] case, the title was only revealed in the Tumblr tags. |
| 311 | * The 4-page prologue of ''Webcomic/{{morphE}}'' features a pair of characters, running from a woman with a bloody knife, discovering an entire cavern full of humans in crates. After the title card the story switches to the protagonists and the pair are not seen again. [[http://morphe.thewebcomic.com/comics/1790280/chapter-2-page-19-sweet-dreams/ Until a flashback.]] |
| 312 | * Every chapter of ''Webcomic/ToddAllisonAndThePetuniaViolet'' has a scene of some sort or another before the chapter's title page. |
| 313 | * ''Webcomic/LatchkeyKingdom'' has a teaser for the chaper "Titan". It sets up the mood by telling of a mysterious ancient beast in a forgotten temple, and an [[TeaserOnlyCharacter unknown traveler]] wishing to vanquish it, at which point an AntiClimaxCut shows Willa stepping in some weird red goo, with the fate of the traveler left [[KilledOffscreen implied]]. |
| 314 | [[/folder]] |
| 315 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 316 | * "A Call To Arms", Chapter 1 of ''WebVideo/LG15TheResistance'' used the original prologue trailer video as a cold opening, before fading to the OpeningNarration. |
| 317 | * The Website/TVTropes original webseries ''WebVideo/EchoChamber'' usually uses [[TheTeaser cold opens]]. |
| 318 | * Many {{YouTube Poop}}s provide an opening sketch, often unrelated to the rest of the video, as an appetizer before the main Poop begins. |
| 319 | * WebSite/SFDebris uses cold openings in about 50% of his episodes. About 50% of those are also lead-ins to his CatchPhrase. |
| 320 | * Frequently played with on ''WebVideo/UltraFastPony''. The teaser in "Stay Tuned" is framed like a PreviouslyOn segment in a cop show [[FormulaBreakingEpisode the show is suddenly parodying]] and takes up most of the episode's runtime. In "Forgettershy", the teaser keeps going because the characters forgot to do the intro sequence, leading to them sticking the theme song in the middle of the climax when they finally remember. "I am Pinkie" probably sets the record for the shortest teaser ever, lasting only ''three seconds''. |
| 321 | -->'''Pinkie:''' Twilight, can I ask you a question?\ |
| 322 | '''Twilight:''' No!\ |
| 323 | '''Theme song:''' ''[[BlatantLies Frieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeends!]]'' |
| 324 | * Eurogamer open their ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' LetsPlay episodes with a few seconds excerpted from during the video, taken out of context. A couple of times, immediately after saying or doing something amusingly weird, Johnny will comment, "Well, that's the cold open sorted!" |
| 325 | * ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'' replaced the original anime's PreviouslyOn segments with these. Most episodes provide an opening sketch, either relevant to the episode in question or something else completely random (such as dubbing over footage from ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''), before making a SmashCut to the intro. |
| 326 | [[/folder]] |
| 327 | |
| 328 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 329 | * Several prime-time cartoons from 1960s have cold openings. These include ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'', ''WesternAnimation/TopCat'', ''WesternAnimation/CalvinAndTheColonel'', and ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest''. |
| 330 | * On their network runs in the 60s, ''WesternAnimation/{{Underdog}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/TennesseeTuxedoAndHisTales'' had teasers. |
| 331 | * A few 1970 and 1971 cartoons used cold opens: ''[[WesternAnimation/TheArchieShow Archie's Funhouse]]'', ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaAndTheGroovieGoolies'', ''WesternAnimation/JosieAndThePussycats ''and ''Will The Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down?'' were the 1970s entries; the debut episode of 1971's ''[[WesternAnimation/TheHairBearBunch Help! It's The Hair Bear Bunch!]]'' ("Keep Your Keeper") was the only ep to use a cold open during its CBS run. All sixteen episodes were re-edited for cable/satellite to have cold opens. |
| 332 | * In the 1980s, NBC's cartoon shows had teasers. |
| 333 | ---- |
| 334 | * The first season of ''WesternAnimation/AllGrownUp'' had cold opens, but dropped them from the second season onwards. |
| 335 | * ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' has a cold open in all episodes ever since the series made the ChannelHop from Creator/{{FOX}} to Creator/{{TBS}}. |
| 336 | * Most episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' usually start with "Newsreel of the Stars". When the segment retired, it used wraparound segments as a framing device. The [[WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020 2020 reboot]] also uses a cold open in the episode "Bun Control" as well as the first episode of the series, where a parody of "Jurassic Park" finds Yakko, Wakko, and Dot reanimated. |
| 337 | * ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' used cold openings featuring Dr. Weird, who would create experiments that would wreck havoc for the Aqua Teens in the show. This lasted three episodes, until Dr. Weird became a nonsensical opening. He was later replaced by the PoorlyDisguisedPilot of Spacecataz. One last Dr. Weird cold opening appeared in the Season 8 episode "Allen Part One". |
| 338 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}'': Before every episode, with 7 out of 9 of them showing flashbacks of the main characters in a formative moment, usually as [[AMinorKidroduction kids]]. |
| 339 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' uses a cold open in every episode, although it usually does involve the episode's plot. |
| 340 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' always begins with a teaser that's about a minute long, followed by a title card. The teasers usually consist of characters talking to the audience, by giving anecdotes on a topic related to the episode. For example, the intro to "Francine Redecorates" has Francine and her friends talking about what they like, to illustrate how everyone has different personal interests. |
| 341 | * ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' has started every episode with one of these so far. While some have occasionally acted as a LeadIn ("Terror on Dinosaur Island" has Plastic Man in both segments), they're usually short, self-contained adventures featuring a hero we might see again in a later episode. The only exception is "Mayhem of the Music Meister!", a MusicalEpisode which dedicates its entire runtime to the main story. |
| 342 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' started most episodes with these. There are a couple that use the BatmanColdOpen (most notably the pilot episode), but for the most part they were used to set up the villain's evil plan for the episode. |
| 343 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'' generally has its first fight before the opening theme, as a way to kick off an episode. |
| 344 | * The double length episodes of ''WesternAnimation/BigCityGreens'' begin with these. |
| 345 | * A large majority of ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' episodes open this way. |
| 346 | * ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' would begin to have this in greater and greater regularity as the series progressed and began having more half-hour episodes. |
| 347 | * ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom''. Mostly fight scenes that usually end in jokes, but there are a few times where it foreshadows the upcoming plot. |
| 348 | * In its original syndicated run, ''WesternAnimation/TheDickTracyShow'' had teasers prefacing their episodes. Selected early episodes tacked on an interstitial with Tracy on law enforcement before going to the teaser. |
| 349 | %%* As did ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'', five years earlier. |
| 350 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' used this only one time, in "Timmy the Barbarian". |
| 351 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' has teasers. Early in the series, it showed a scene directly from the episode itself, though some of them, particularly in later seasons, show either a one-off gag or use a LeadIn. |
| 352 | * Several episodes in the first season of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' have a cold opening. They more or less disappeared in the second, though there were sporadic pre-opening theme joke adverts for futuristic products. So does "The Prisoner of Benda", one of the episode after the series was {{uncancelled}}. |
| 353 | -->'''Linda:''' Tonight, at 11:00.\ |
| 354 | '''Morbo:''' {{Doom|yDoomsOfDoom}}! |
| 355 | %%* ''WesternAnimation/GeneratorRex''. |
| 356 | * Every episode of ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' has a cold opening, usually to introduce the object or situation that sets the episode's plot into motion. In addition, when the hour-long series finale is split in half for reruns, the second half uses a PreviouslyOn segment narrated by Soos. |
| 357 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Horseland}}'' uses a 20-second teaser where a character narrates what's going to happen in the episode. |
| 358 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheJetsons'' had them in its original run. However, most current TV/DVD prints remove their teasers, though "The Coming of Astro" has its teaser intact. |
| 359 | * ''WesternAnimation/LittlestPetShop2012'' has a cold opening in every episode. |
| 360 | * ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'' had this in the premieres for seasons one and two. The first one was used to introduce the audience to Milo and his condition from the perspective of [[AudienceSurrogate Zack]], [[LogicalLatecomer the new kid in town]]. Then in season two, all of the major events of the first season's StoryArc are recapped by [[spoiler: [[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz]]]]. |
| 361 | * ''WesternAnimation/RazzberryJazzberryJam'': Every episode starts with a brief scene before the credits. Most of them serve to establish the plot of the episode, but a few are clearly just {{Padding}}. |
| 362 | * Unusually for a comedic TwoShorts kids' show, ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBeaks'' uses these in every episode. |
| 363 | * Every episode of ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' begins with a teaser. |
| 364 | * ''WesternAnimation/JakeAndTheNeverLandPirates'': Every episode begins with a scene featuring Jake, Izzy, Cubby, and Skully inviting the viewer to say the pirate password, "Yo-ho-ho!" to start the show. |
| 365 | * Except for episodes that were only 11 minutes long, ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' had these as well, most of them being [[BatmanColdOpen Batman Cold Openings]]. |
| 366 | * Done quite well in early episodes of ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', in which the ColdOpen would transition seamlessly into the TitleSequence. |
| 367 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheKoalaBrothers'': The 30-minute broadcasts adds in a one-minute teaser before each segment where Frank and Buster are on their daily patrol and the viewer has to guess the character they're going to help who will also become the subject of each respective segment. |
| 368 | * Many of the early episodes of ''WesternAnimation/TheLifeAndTimesOfJuniperLee'' had teasers that didn't relate much to the plot, except for maybe one mention of where the main part of the story starts. One episode, "It Takes a Pillage", had a teaser which appeared to be setting up the MonsterOfTheWeek by showing him and having him monologue, but right at the point the monster's supposed to say his name, June conks him with a stone. |
| 369 | * ''WesternAnimation/MartinMystery'' uses these to set up for the MonsterOfTheWeek, with Martin and his friends usually appearing after the intro sequence. |
| 370 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' uses a cold open in all episodes except for the second half of every two-parter. |
| 371 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Hilda}}'' has three in the following episodes: "The Hidden People", "The Sparrow Scouts", and "The Troll Rock". |
| 372 | * ''WesternAnimation/JorelsBrother'': After the theme song [[EvolvingCredits was updated in Season 3]], it began being shown after a short introductory scene in every episode, unlike the first two seasons which began the episodes with the theme tune and title cards. The episode "A Revanche de Kleyton" has the shortest cold open in the show, lasting only a few seconds. |
| 373 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' has a cold open every episode. |
| 374 | * Each episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'' starts with one that sets off the plot before the title card. |
| 375 | * The series ''WesternAnimation/{{Olivia}}'' does a comedic one. |
| 376 | * "Exit 9B" is the only episode of ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' with a cold open, which helps set it up as a WhamEpisode. |
| 377 | * Every episode of ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'', except for Episodes 2-6, has a cold opening, which establishes or foreshadows the plot of the episode. |
| 378 | * ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': Season 5 starts off with Jack saving three refugees from Aku's army, then explaining the story. Jack's monologue becomes the TitleSequence, replacing the original opening song from the first four seasons (although the song is still played during the closing credits). |
| 379 | * ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'': ''WesternAnimation/WhatsNewScoobyDoo'' and ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'' were the first two Scooby shows to use a cold open. In the former, someone would run into the MonsterOfTheWeek. |
| 380 | * ''WesternAnimation/SecretMountainFortAwesome'' does this to explain the plot of each episode, before surging into the TitleOnlyOpening. |
| 381 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretSaturdays'' have this in every episode, to let the viewer know the current situation of the characters. |
| 382 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' usually does not use a cold opening, except sometimes for Halloween specials, they do, however, often use a LeadIn. |
| 383 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhostCoastToCoast'' does this almost every episode. In one particular case, the episode "Joshua" is a super long cold opening promoting "Space Ghost 2000". The actual episode consists of the winners of the "Haikuin' for Space Ghost" contest reading their haikus, and that's about it. "Gallagher"'s cold opening consisted solely of Space Ghost shouting "They've invented the telephone?!", with no lead-up or follow-through, and with no relation to anything in the episode. |
| 384 | * ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'' has them in every episode, most times featuring at least one of the main characters. |
| 385 | * ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsResistance'' follows in ''Rebels''[='=] footsteps, having a teaser in every episode. |
| 386 | * While not before the opening credits, ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' has one before its [[Recap/StevenUniverseS3E20Bismuth 100th episode's]] [[EpisodeTitleCard title card]] shows up. (Usually the title card is shown before the episode starts.) |
| 387 | * ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'' frequently started with a FlashForward. |
| 388 | * ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' had these, the length of it varying depending on the episode. |
| 389 | * Here's a rare theatrical example: a lot of late 1950s widescreen [=CinemaScope=] shorts from Creator/{{Terrytoons}} have a teaser before the credits. This was dropped after a while, although the final Heckle & Jeckle cartoon ''Messed Up Movie Makers'' (released in 1966) has a teaser, too. |
| 390 | * The ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' specials use these, beginning with ''Blue Mountain Mystery'' in 2012. |
| 391 | * A variation is used in ''WesternAnimation/TimeJamValerianAndLaureline''. Episodes start with a recap of the general situation - Earth is gone, Laureline is from the 10th C., they have to work as mercenaties. Then there is a teaser and only after that, the crfedits roll with the OP. |
| 392 | * ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'': "Tall in the Trap", "Duel Personality" and "The Mouse From H.U.N.G.E.R." have a teaser play before the credits. |
| 393 | * ''WesternAnimation/UglyAmericans'' almost always starts with a cold open that looks like part of a horror film, then turns out to be something fairly mundane (for [[MundaneFantastic that universe]]). Usually used to introduce the Department of Integration's [[MonsterOfTheWeek client of the week]]. Case in point, [[http://www.comedycentral.com/video-clips/a9dcet/ugly-americans-the-demon-chick the pilot.]] |
| 394 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' uses cold opens in every episode. In some episodes, they don't even show the opening sequence, though, so it doesn't exactly count. In season one, at least, the ColdOpen would always be drawn in wide screen while the rest of the episode was in full screen. |
| 395 | * The 2nd season of ''WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}}'' added a cold open. |
| 396 | * ''WesternAnimation/XavierRiddleAndTheSecretMuseum'': Before the main story of each episode starts, the episodes open with Xavier, Yadina, and Brad (in a white void) greeting the viewer and introducing the hero that they're going to meet. |
| 397 | [[/folder]] |
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