The Office: The Office: Top 5 best cold opens ranked

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From Jim’s hilarious pranks, Michael’s inappropriate antics to Dwight’s weird quirks, The Office has given the audience many moments that will stay with them forever. One of the show’s unforgettable facets are the cold opens, which are hilarious and even ludicrous at times. The cold opens of the show have a cult following of their own made memorable by meme culture.

The Office follows the story of a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania, called Dunder Mifflin. Filmed in a mock-documentary format, the show explores the daily lives of the employees and their exaggerated office interactions.

The stellar cast of The Office further elevates the show, making it count among one of the all-time greats. The comedy series, which was originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant for BBC, got an American makeover when Greg Daniels developed it for NBC. The Office went on to win several prestigious awards including the Golden Globe and Emmy Awards. The cast of the show includes Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, Ed Helms, Mindy Kaling, Oscar Nunez, Ellie Kemper and Rashida Jones among others.

During its nine-season run from 2005 to 2013, the show had several noteworthy cold opens. We take a look at the top five most memorable ones.

The Office: Top 5 best cold opens ranked

1) Fire drill - Season 5, Episode 14: Stress Relief

Regarded as one of the best episodes on the show, the cold open starts with Dwight (Rainn Wilson) starting a small fire in order to check the employees’ emergency preparedness. But what follows is pure chaos. The employees start to take extreme measures in panic.

As everyone is running around, Angela (Angela Kinsey) takes out her cat that she was hiding in the filing cabinet and throws it at Oscar (Oscar Nunez) who was escaping through the ceiling, only for the cat to fall down. Jim (John Krasinski) tries to break open the door using the copier machine and Kevin (Brian Baumgartner) tries to steal the snacks from the vending machine. Stanley (Leslie David Baker) gets a heart attack and Michael (Steve Carell) tries to help him in his ill-informed ways. This one scene shows the dynamics of the characters within the show in the most comical and frenzied manner.

2) Asian Jim – Season 9, Episode 3: Andy’s Ancestry

Pranks between Jim and Dwight are one of the highlights of the show. This one, however, particularly stands out as it shows the extent to which Jim would go to pull a trick on Dwight.

The episode opens with a stranger, portrayed by Randall Park, pretending to be Jim taking his seat next to Dwight. Park is up-to-date with all the information that only Jim would know. Dwight argues that Jim is not Asian. Pam (Jenna Fischer) even kisses Park in a casual manner. Dwight notices the picture on the desk with Park as Jim, his wife Pam (Jenna Fischer) and their kids, confusing him further. Pam later reveals that Jim is away at a dentist appointment and their actor friend, Steve, filled in to prank Dwight.

3) What won't Stanley notice? - Season 7, Episode 6: Costume Contest

When Jim is next to Stanley’s desk, Stanley ends up drinking Jim’s cup of orange juice instead of his own hot coffee. When Jim realizes that Stanley was not even aware of the mistake, he decides to see how oblivious Stanley is to his surroundings.

From Kevin sitting in front of him dressed as Phyllis (Phyllis Smith) at her desk, Andy sitting shirtless with only his tie, everyone facing the wrong side during the meeting and a cameo by a pony at the office entrance, Stanley does not notice even one odd moment as he clocks out at exact 5 PM, making this one of the silliest yet clever take on an employee’s lack on enthusiasm in office.

4) Tobby returns - Season 5, Episode 9: Frame Toby

If you are a fan of the show, you already know the animosity Michael carries around for HR manager Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein). Toby had previously taken a break from Dunder Mifflin but returned to Michael’s dismay.

In this episode, the employees are in the conference room enjoying snacks when Kelly (Mindy Kaling) decides to take a piece of brownie for Toby. When Michael reminds her that he is no longer there, Jim reveals that Toby is back. Michael goes to check and when he comes face-to-face with Toby he screams in shock at him. The moment has gone on to become one of the more iconic scenes, leading to several memes.

5) Kevin’s famous chili - Season 5, Episode 26: Casual Friday

In this episode, we see Kevin arriving at an empty office with a huge pot of chili. He goes on to describe in detail why it is ‘Kevin’s famous chili,’ which he apparently brings in at least once a year to the office.

He proudly states how the chili is made and why it is sought after. However, Kevin’s clumsy self takes over and he drops the ‘famous chili’ all over the office floor. He attempts to clean the mess using office items, but only to make it even worse. The physical comedy in this cold open is remarkable.

The Office is available on the streaming platform Peacock.

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