The Office is known for having hilarious cold openings. Whether it's Dwight organizing a fire drill, Kevin spilling his famous chili, or Michael accidentally running over Meredith, this NBC sitcom has no shortage of laughs at the start of every episode.
However, that's not to say they all get the recognition they deserve. While a lot of The Office cold opens are funny in their own right, there are a couple that sadly go overlooked due to the fact that they aren't as chaotic or full of drama. Nevertheless, as time goes on, fans have begun to appreciate some of the more underrated ones and advocate why they should truly be remembered as much as the other ones.
Kevin Saves Time By Using Few Words ("The Incentive")
It's no secret that Kevin got progressively dumber by the time season 8. But sometimes this accountant will use his stupidity to find any sort of loophole - with amusing results. In one of Kevin's most hilarious moments on The Office, Andy calls him over to discuss something that has nothing to do with his job performance. The accountant, for whatever reason, speaks with others while using the fewest amount of words possible. Because in his own words, "why waste time, say lot word when few word do trick?"
Andy tries to talk Kevin out of his quirky communication technique, but Kevin argues that communicating this way saves him time. It's a moment that constantly makes viewers laugh since the irony of the situation sees that he wastes more time trying to explain to people why he's doing it instead of speaking normally. It's just one of those times where his logic only makes sense to Kevin.
Michael Demonstrates Some Magic At The Office
Michael, who happened to attend a magic camp with other children, decides to show off a magic trick that he had learned to his employees. Introducing them to one of his best alter-egos, Michael the Magic, and wearing a chained straitjacket, Michael attempts to escape out of the cloth in true Harry Houdini fashion.
The only way he can get out is by unlocking a chain with a key, which he has hidden in his mouth. The key falls out as Michael struggles to free himself from the chains; Jim conspicuously hides it under his shoe. Watching Michael struggle to free himself from the straitjacket is funny enough on its own, though his exasperated scream near the end is the cold open's high point.
Dwight Wears A Pumpkin Over His Head ("Here Comes Treble")
It's Halloween time at the Scranton branch, and Dwight has the perfect Halloween prank in mind for Season 9's iconic Halloween-themed episode. He comes into the office wearing a jack-o'-lantern pumpkin over his head, hoping to scare as many coworkers as possible. It turns out to be a success at first after Dwight scares Erin at the reception desk. However, when Dwight tries to take off the pumpkin, he soon discovers that it's stuck. Jim even tries pulling off the pumpkin but to no avail.
While the prank backfiring was certainly hilarious, this incident was also pivotal in Jim and Dwight's friendship too. The fact that Dwight entrusted him to remove the pumpkin shows how much he trusts his co-worker - even if he ends up getting humiliated.
Phone Salesman Gets Swerved ("Blood Drive")
A phone salesman comes into the office one day, looking to sell a new phone system. Jim approaches the phone salesman, posing as Michael, and informs him that the office is not interested in the new phone system.
That's when Michael comes in, only to be called "Jimbo" by Jim. Michael is at first thrilled (if not a little confused), and then Jim and Pam shout "Ayyyy!" while giving their boss two thumbs up. Michael happily returns the favor. This scene is truly unique and hilarious because, finally, Michael gets to be part of an inside joke and is not the object of it. The joy and bewilderment on his face shows how much it means to him too, particularly since they know he's the biggest fan of sitcom TV and would easily get the reference.
Stanley Sings "Closing Time" With Andy ("Doomsday")
Andy wishes to "bring closure" to the end of each workday at the office, and how does he do that? By singing "Closing Time" when it's almost time to head home. Many of the Dunder Mifflin employees are irritated by Andy's singing, with several of them showing visible annoyance.
Andy is left disgusted that no one except for Erin joins in on the singing, and he proceeds to scold his coworkers. But then Stanley bursts in and sings along with Andy, with a smile on his face, and he leaves Andy in a very happy mood. It's not often that fans get to see Stanley acting so happy and affable, so his joyous singing makes this cold open all the more memorable.
Recyclops Runs Amok At The Scranton Branch ("Shareholder Meeting")
Dwight has no shortage of aliases, and Recyclops just so happens to be one of them. Recyclops is the star of this cold open, making a name for himself with his destruction of the usual office workplace. Dwight has a very interesting way of celebrating Earth Day, to say the least. He storms inside the office in a costume, demanding that his coworkers bow down before him. Everyone looks ecstatic about seeing Recyclops, who goes on quite a tear around the office.
What makes this scene so memorable is that viewers can see "Recyclops" origin story. First, he's seen trying to help the world by recycling only for him to turn on humanity. Not only can the viewers see how Dwight has become heavily invested in the character but it also brings a smile to everyone's face too as fans can see that he enjoys playing the role too.
The Scranton Branch Takes A Fun Christmas Photo ("Classy Christmas")
In a "Classy Christmas," the entire Scranton branch gathers outside one day to take a group photo for their Christmas card. The photo turns out to be a success, and before anyone could head back inside, Michael suggests doing a fun photo - despite the freezing temperatures.
For the fun photo, the branch agree to jump in the air together, which went about as well as one can expect. No matter how many times they try, every attempt would result in failure and constant bickering, and that's what makes this cold open a joy to watch.
Jim Stages A Murder Scene ("Tallahassee")
As several Dunder Mifflin employees travel to Tallahassee as a part of Sabre's new project, Jim decides to get up to his usual shenanigans and attempts to trick Dwight. This prank is, perhaps, one of Jim's best ones on The Office, as he ups the ante and the extreme - while at the same time framing Dwight.
Jim wakes up very early in the morning and organizes a murder scene in his hotel room. When Dwight enters Jim's room to wake him up, he suddenly walks into the murder scene - complete with fake blood on the walls and a sign that read "It Was Dwight." The icing on the cake is Jim falling out of the closet pretending to be dead, getting quite a scream out of Dwight.
Darryl Receives A Birthday Card - After His Grandmother Dies ("PDA")
Darryl is met with some sad news - his grandma, who was about to turn 97, passes away. Pam stops by to comfort Darryl and gives him a card signed by her coworkers to show him some support.
When Darryl opens the card and reads it, he soon realizes that many believed it was a birthday card. Adding insult to injury, one of the inscribed notes was "Time to celebrate, you deserve this." While it was sad news for Darryl, seeing him turn to the camera with a tear rolling down his eye while receiving birthday punches from Andy is the icing on the cake for this cold open.