15 funniest cold opens from The Office

The Office is undoubtedly one of the best series that viewers can't get enough of. The introduction of funny openers made the show even more unique. The razor-sharp wit and character-driven comedy of the show make it worth watching. The cold opens became a hallmark of the show. It is like a delightful appetizer that sets the tone for the upcoming episodes. It also sets the tone for the upcoming humor that can be expected in the show.

These short bursts of comedy ranged from elaborate pranks to absurd misunderstandings. The brilliance of these openings lies in their ability to quickly establish character traits, highlighting the dynamics of the office. The delivery of the punchlines adds flavor to it as well. So let's delve into the 15 funniest cold opens from The Office.

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1) Jim's replacement in Season 9 Episode 3

One of the funniest opens from The Office is when Jim goes to the dentist, and in his place, someone else comes and pretends to be Jim. It starts with Steve coming to the office and calling Dwight Schrute. Dwight gets surprised and asks about his identity. Steve tells him that he is Jim.

Dwight thinks that it was a joke initially, but Steve answers all his questions correctly, making Dwight concerned and worried. On the other hand, Pam tells the viewers about Steve’s true identity and the prank that they planned for Dwight. This scene is hilarious as Dwight gets more and more concerned.

2) Pranking Michael in Season 5 Episode 28

In season 5 episode 28, we see Michael eat a whole chicken pot pie. The pot pie was huge, and it instantly made Michael sleepy. He falls asleep, and the office team decides to play a prank on the boss.

They change the clock in the office and also Michael’s wrist watch to almost 5 PM so that they can quickly get off work without doing any work that day. They successfully execute the plan, and Michael leaves the office thinking that the day is over.

3)Jim takes on Dwight's outfit in Season 3 Episode 20

In season 3, episode 20 of The Office, we see Jim enter the office dressed just like Dwight. As he sits at his desk opposite Dwight, Dwight does not notice. However, as Jim takes out the exact same shape of glasses that Dwight wears, he understands that Jim is impersonating him.

Jim tells the bear joke to Dwight, which further angers him, and he tells him that identity theft should not be joked about. This whole prank is funny, especially when Jim tells the viewers about the details of his outfit.

4) Dwight's stock in Season 4 Episode 18

In season 4, episode 18 of The Office, the scene starts with Dwight eating. He then starts to describe that he has the best-stocked survival shelter in Northeastern Pennsylvania. He tells the viewers that he is eating his stocked food because everything has a shelf life, and the food is expiring.

He needs to eat and replace the things that are about to expire. On seeing this, the other members of the office start to make fun of him, especially Kevin. However, Dwight is not disheartened; he reminds them that if snowy ash drizzles from the sky or a rabid pack of dogs surrounds him, his only hope would be the door to his shelter. The whole scene is hilarious and adds to the overall intrigue of the show.

5) Kevin’s chili recipe in Season 5 Episode 26

In season 5, episode 26, we see Kevin bringing his secret chili recipe to the office for his colleagues. However, as he enters, he finds out that the elevator is out of order.

He needed to take the huge tub of chili using the stairs. As he entered the office, the big drum of chili dropped on the floor from his hands and spilled everywhere. He tries his best to gather the chili in the tub using papers and whatever he can find in front of him, but to no avail.

6) Michael’s parkour, Season 6 episode 1

In season 6, episode 1, we see Michael enter the office and tumble onto the sofa, saying, “Parkour!” Soon, Dwight and Andy enter and start to jump from the chair to the table, saying the same thing. It is confusing. Jim shows a video of parkour, saying that it was the internet sensation of 2004.

He adds that it was also a part of the Bond films. He describes parkour, saying that the goal is to go from point A to point B creatively. However, he adds that Michael, Dwight, and Andy were technically doing parkour.

However, the parkour they were doing was point A being delusion, and point B was the hospital. The scene ends with Andy jumping from the top of a truck and falling straight into an empty box, hurting himself.

7) Michael gets inspired by Meryl Streep

In season 4, episode 4, Michael enters the office and throws his coat towards Pam. Pam describes that Michael had just started watching The Devil Wears Prada. His behavior was inspired by Meryl Streep.

From time to time during office hours, he would come out of his cabin and tell Pam quotations from the movie, pretending to be Miranda Priestly. However, in the end, he tells Pam that he was apologetic if he misbehaved, and Pam understands that he has started watching Million Dollar Baby.

8) Michael and Toby in Season 5 Episode 9

In season 5, episode 9, we see everyone at the office eating brownies. Michael arrives and sees that Kelly is taking two. When asked about why she was taking two, she says that one of them was for Toby.

This makes Michael laugh as he thinks that Kelly is joking about Toby, as he does not work there anymore. However, he later finds out that Toby has started to work with them again. When he comes face to face with Toby, he starts to shout, and the whole moment brings out the overall humor of the show.

9) Stanley’s disinterest in Season 7 Episode 6

In season 7, episode 6 of The Office, we see Stanley drinking from Jim’s cup without even noticing that it was not his cup. This makes Jim wonder to what extent Stanley won’t notice the things surrounding him.

The members of the office start to wear bizarre outfits, but Stanley does not notice them. Dwight even brings a pony into the office to see if Stanley notices it. However, Stanley does not notice it and goes on about his day.

10) Importance of news in Season 7 Episode 8

As soon as Gabe enters the office, he finds out that no one is in the office. He is then informed that the Scranton Strangler has been caught. He sees that everyone in the office was watching the live stream news telecast of this.

Gabe tells everyone that they need to get back to work, but everyone is immersed in the news, and they tell him that some things need to be watched on a live stream. The whole moment seems bizarre as they stop their work and are focused on the news. This adds to the overall humor of the show.

11) Dwight's antics in Season 7 Episode 10

Everyone is shocked to see Dwight using his feet to take a pencil and trying to do something. When Jim asked why he was doing it, Dwight told him that 20 minutes a day of all feet and no hands would give him the pededexterity of a chimp. Jim then brings a cup of hot coffee for Dwight. Dwight tries to hold the cup using his feet but drops the whole drink, ending his pededextrerity journey.

12) Michael gets shot at in Season 7 Episode 17

In season 7, episode 17 of The Office, we see a delivery arrive for Michael. However, the delivery person starts to shoot Michael. Michael swiftly swerves all the bullets, which shocks the delivery person.

Then he pulls out his own gun and starts to shoot the delivery person, killing him. Later, he reveals that after three years of writing, one year of shooting, four years of reshooting, and two years of editing, he has finally completed his movie. This hilarious and surprising outcome leaves the viewers shocked.

13) Oscar saves the dog in Season 8 Episode 3

In season 8, episode 3, Dwight, Jim, and others see a car with a dog inside. Each decides what they should do to help the dog. Then Kevin says that he would go, sit in his car, and honk three times to make them understand to save the dog.

Ultimately, Oscar breaks the car window, but that makes the dog try to get out of the car. So, they stick a cardboard to the broken window and poke holes in it so that the dog can breathe. The whole moment is undoubtedly one of the best opening scenes of The Office.

14) Andy’s billboard in season 8 episode 4

In season 8, episode 4, The Office starts with another hilarious open, but this time with Andy. Andy had called for billboards to give advertisements for their lower prices. The billboards had pictures of Andy and Dwight.

Jim informs Andy that the billboards have been sabotaged and drawings have been made on top of them. Dwight runs to see the billboard and gets traumatized by seeing what the billboard has been made into.

15) Andy’s closing song in Season 8 Episode 6

Season 8, episode 6 starts with Andy singing the closing time song. It is a tradition that he has started since he became the manager. Though he is very excited to sing the song, others are not so interested. This initially makes Andy disheartened, but when he sees Stanley start to sing his song, he quickly becomes enthusiastic and starts to sing again.

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