Steve Carell as Michael Scott in The Office

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‘The Office’: 5 Best Cold Openings That Had Us Laughing Before the Opening Credits

The funniest moments in The Office often happen before the opening theme begins, and these are some of the best examples

by Ross Tanenbaum

Published on February 21, 2023

2 min read

Here are 5 of the best cold openings from ‘The Office’

1. Fire Drill — ‘Stress Relief, Part 1’. Season 5, Episode 14

Dwight is an employee who follows procedures strictly, but his coworkers don’t share the same concern. In the opening of this episode of The Office, Dwight simulates a fire to see if his cohorts know what to do. However, Dwight’s drill is a bit extreme, causing the Dunder Mifflin office to become chaotic.

Not only does no one follow Dwight’s instructions, everyone tries to improvise. People throw chairs at the windows, climb through the ceiling, and run around looking for the nearest escape. The scene ends with Stanley having a heart attack with Michael trying to resuscitate him.

2. ‘Nobody But Me’ performance — ‘Nepotism’, Season 7, Episode 1

This opening makes audiences wonder how long it took The Office cast to perfect it. Season 7 opens with the cast lip-synching to “Nobody But Me” by The Human Beinz. The sequence is done in one impressive take as the camera travels through the office, giving every cast member a moment to shine. It ends in a glorious finale that welcomes audiences back from a break before the latest season.

3. Parkour — ‘Gossip’, Season 6, Episode 1

This scene might be dated now, as parkour was relevant around the time of this episode. However, it is no less funny to see Michael, Dwight, and Andy climb and roll off every surface in the room whilst yelling, “Parkour!” Unfortunately, things don’t end well after the trio decides to jump off a roof on nearby boxes. Andy goes first and goes right through the box, leading to an unceremonious end of their parkour escapades.

4. Stanley ignores everything — ‘Costume Contest’, Season 7, Episode 6

Stanley is a simple man. He wants to come to work, do his job, and leave when the clock strikes 5. Anything else is just getting in his way. In this opening, Jim notices that Stanley ignores everything around him, no matter how bizarre it can be. So, the Dunder Mifflin team decides to experiment with this theory. Some examples include Kevin dressing up like Phyllis, Pam wearing a mustache, and Dwight holding a pony.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Stanley actually did notice these things, he just purposefully ignores them. Still, it’s amazing how little he cares about his surroundings — except for when it’s pretzel day.

5. Jim Impersonates Dwight — ‘Product Recall’, Season 3, Episode 21

Many of the openings from The Office feature Jim pulling a prank on Dwight. However, the funniest prank Jim ever pulled was when he pretended to be Dwight. His impression is impeccable, as he has the perfect outfit, glasses, and passion for Battlestar Galactica. However, it’s important to remember that identity theft isn’t a joke.