Teaser

Structure

Definition: A teaser is the opening segment of a television episode, typically one to five pages, that precedes the first act and title sequence. Functionally similar to a cold open, the teaser establishes the episode's central problem, reintroduces the world for returning viewers, and hooks the audience into staying through the commercial break.

Understanding Teaser

In television writing, "teaser" and "cold open" are often used interchangeably, but there is a subtle distinction in some writers' rooms. A teaser is the structural term — it is the labeled segment in your script (TEASER before ACT ONE). A cold open is the technique of starting without titles. Most teasers are cold opens, but a teaser that plays after a brief title card is still a teaser. In drama, the teaser often sets up the episode's case, crime, or crisis. In comedy, it might be a standalone comedic scene that sets the tone. The teaser ends with a moment of tension, surprise, or a question that carries the audience into Act One.

Example in a Screenplay

                    TEASER

FADE IN:

EXT. LAKEHOUSE - NIGHT

A woman runs barefoot across a dock. She reaches the end,
looks back at the house. Every light is on.

She jumps into the black water.

INT. LAKEHOUSE - CONTINUOUS

A dinner table set for six. Five plates untouched.
The sixth smeared with blood.

                                        END OF TEASER

Common Mistakes

Writing a teaser that belongs in Act One — the teaser should create urgency that earns the audience's patience through the title sequence. Making it too expository. Forgetting that in half-hour comedy, the teaser is usually a quick, punchy scene unrelated to the A-story. Labeling the first scene a "teaser" when it is really just your Act One opening.