It's the mark of any good show to keep viewers unsure of what they'll see each time they tune in every week, managing to have people's jaws drop right from the get-go. Such was certainly the case with the most recent episode of The Blacklist, "Between Sleep And Awake," opening with the flashback showing the dramatic aftermath of Liz's death at the end of Season 8, complete with a near-fatal car accident that nearly killed off series regular, Donald Ressler.
Having an episode with a shocking opening can draw viewers in and get them invested from the offset. Beloved characters can suddenly die, new characters can be introduced, longtime story arcs can be set up or resolved before the credits even begin to roll. It's this level of unpredictability that makes TV so fun and worth watching.
The West Wing: "Pilot" (Season 1, Episode 1)
The first episode of Aaron Sorkins' groundbreaking 1999 drama begins by showing the various characters attached to the Oval Office receiving the news that the President has been injured in a bicycle accident.
An argument could be made that a good pilot is one that introduces all the characters and establishes what the show is about. Based on the opening scene from its pilot alone, The West Wing manages to do that and then some, showing each character's personality perfectly. It also thrusts viewers into the middle of a serious dramatic crisis the characters must resolve by the end of the episode.
Arrested Development: "Flight of the Phoenix" (Season 4, Episode 1)
After the events of Season 3's finale, wherein Michael resolved to leave his family behind for good, "Flight of the Phoenix" jumps ahead 8 years, showing the various Bluth family members as they struggle to find stability in their life--none more so than Michael.
The later seasons of Arrested Development may be a point of contention among fans, but Season 4's opener, "Flight of the Phoenix," nonetheless remains an interesting return to the always unlikable Bluth family after the show's cancellation nearly a decade prior. It's an episode that illustrates how much every family member depended on Michael to hold them together, and just how greatly Michael needed them in his life, given how broke, desperate, and endlessly unhappy he is in "Flight of the Phoenix."
Rick and Morty: "Total Rickall" (Season 2, Episode 4)
Rick and Morty's "Total Rickall" is kicked off with an incredibly strange opening, with all of the Smiths gathered for breakfast, laughing and eating with their beloved Uncle Steve. When Rick arrives, however, it's soon revealed that Steve is actually an alien parasite able to trick people into thinking they are real.
Rick and Morty has become somewhat known for starting its episodes off in the midst of a zany sci-fi adventure, but it's Season 2's "Total Rickall" that establishes perhaps the best, most bizarre setup of the show so far. There's plenty of laughs and witty banter between Rick and the rest of the incredulous Smiths, and showcases the legitimately dangerous threats the episode's alien antagonists truly are. What's more, it also features the first appearance of the fan-favorite character, Mr. Poopybutthole.
Community: "Repilot" (Season 5, Episode 1)
The cult-favorite NBC comedy, Community, had previously ended in Season 4, with Jeff finally graduating and able once again to return to practicing law. In Season 5's "Repilot," however, it's revealed that Jeff's law firm has once again failed, and that he is now lonely, depressed, and finally coming to terms with how much he misses his friends at Greendale.
It's a touching episode that showed Jeff's growth as a character--someone who claims to not want the companionship of others, but who now desperately needs it. In a very large sense, it completes Jeff's overall narrative journey from misanthropic, cynical self-professed loner to the more complex, warmhearted individual he is in Season 5, a man unable to betray Greendale or fully leave it behind.
Lost: "A Tale of Two Cities" (Season 3, Episode 1)
Lost made a name for itself by having fantastic season openers. In Season 3's first episode, viewers see the new character of Juliet, as she prepares for a book club meeting seemingly in a suburban community, until she is interrupted by a plane (Oceanic 815) crashing overhead, revealing to audiences the quaint little town is in fact on the Island, and Juliet--along with everyone else she interacts with--is an Other.
One of the main mysteries on the first few seasons of Lost was who exactly the enigmatic Others were. Previously, they'd been hinted at being an almost primitive tribe of hostile Island-dwellers attacking the main cast for trespassing on their land. In the first five minutes of "A Tale of Two Cities," the audience sees who the Others really are. It's a wonderful twist that further developed the mystery of the Others, without giving away too much information to viewers. Admittedly, Lost had some predictable plot twists now and again, but this certainly wasn't one of them.
Fargo: "The Crocodile's Dilemma" (Season 2, Episode 7)
Fargo's first three seasons earned high praise from critics for its originality and sudden, suspenseful plot twists that left audiences waiting to see what happened next. Case in point with Season 2, Episode 7's opening scene, featuring a montage of the brutal crime war between the Gerhardts and the Kansas City Mafia.
The first half of Season 2 was heavily built around whether or not the two factions would be able to make peace and avoid a potentially disastrous conflict. With the feud between the two having grown past the point of no return, however, when war does break out between the two here, it's shockingly brutal, violent, and sudden, claiming many lives on both sides.
The Office: "Fun Run" (Season 4, Episode 1)
The opening moments of The Office's "Fun Run" begin in a straightforward enough fashion, filling in audience members on where each character currently is in the series: Michael is now with Jan, with Ryan assuming her role in New York as Michael's superior.
Things seem to be back to their normal and boring self in Scranton, until the episode takes a sharp left turn (literally) with Michael crashing into Meredith. Michael has done many horrible things in the past--such as regularly ruining Christmas in The Office--but few of his antics measure up to hitting any employee with his car. Equal parts funny as it is shocking, it's likely the worst thing Michael had done in the series (except for Scott's Totts, that is).
The Walking Dead: "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be" (Season 7, Episode 1)
Picking up moments where Season 6 left off, the seventh season of The Walking Dead begins with a dazed, shellshocked Rick coming face to face with Negan, who tells the newly introduced antagonist that he will kill him for what he's done.
The previous season of The Walking Dead ended with the bombshell cliffhanger that Negan has killed a main character within the group. Who exactly he's killed may not be shown, but the opening minutes of "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be" manages to show just how seemingly defeated the main characters are, and how much of a dangerous psychological and physical threat Negan really is. It's a moment that forever changed Rick Grimes, and left a lasting impression on the viewer as well.
Breaking Bad: "Pilot" (Season 1, Episode 1)
The opening scene from this hit AMC series alone stands as a testament to its ability to entertain, introducing the character of the hapless chemistry teacher, Walt, crashing his RV through the desert, making a goodbye video to his family, and waiting (gun in hand) for the police to arrive.
Breaking Bad was always built around Walt White's descent to criminal kingpin from average family man, a protagonist who seems very much of his element, but who must adapt and harden to the cutthroat world of drug manufacturing. It's an attention-grabbing scene that piqued audiences' interest in regards to how exactly an everyman like Walt ended up in such an extraordinary situation.
Game of Thrones: "Winter Is Coming" (Season 1, Episode 1)
The initial five minutes of Game of Thrones feels more akin to a short horror film than it does a TV series. In it, a group of Night Watch members venture beyond the Wall, and are brutally killed by the mysterious White Walkers.
When it first debuted in 2010, audiences had no idea what exactly to expect when it came HBO's adaptation of George R.R. Martin's popular fantasy series. The opening scene of this series alone, though, established the tone of the entire series, one that was far darker and more violent than any other fantasy show on TV, establishing the more adult content the series would become well known for displaying. Additionally, "Winter Is Coming" also introduces the threat posed by the White Walkers, a long-running narrative arch that would become a key storyline in the course of the entire series.