Cold Open
From Muppet Wiki
A Cold Open is the industry term for the portion of a television show which occurs before the theme song and/or title sequence. It is also sometimes called a "teaser", and is intended to interest the viewer so s/he will sit through the credits and commercials before the rest of the show starts.
Each episode of The Muppet Show in seasons 2 - 4 would begin with Scooter knocking on the Guest Star's Dressing Room door, and then announcing the star's name, and that it was a few seconds until curtain time. This was followed by a short quip or visual joke from the guest star.
In season 5, the cold open was changed to show the guest star entering the theater and talking briefly to Pops.
Notes
Other Muppet/Henson have also had cold opens. Most Jim Henson Hour cold opens took place in Muppet Central, usually ending with Kermit the Frog telling Digit to start the show. Dinosaurs gained a cold open in the third season and Aliens in the Family also gained one in the second episode. Sesame Street has occasionally had cold opens (mainly during the 1990s), and all episodes since season 35 feature recurring pre-title segments which serve the same function. Muppets Tonight also had cold opens, which, unlike The Muppet Show, didn't always take place in the same location or always have the guest star.
