History Main / PromotionToOpeningTitles

* In ''Series/NightCourt'', Markie Post guest starred as Public Defender Christine Sullivan in an early season 2 episode, then returned in the third season onward as a series regular. Florence Halop and Marsha Warfield respectively guest-starred in the 3rd and 4th season premieres before being promoted to regular status in the following episode.

** Joshua Malina as Will Bailey, first appeared as a guest character in a few episodes in Season 4 before a speedy PromotionToOpeningTitles.

** Which [[FridgeLogic raises the question]] of how a Thermian handles giving a false "actor" name.
*** Pretty well, based on the comics.

* ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'': Creator/ElizabethBanks (Betty Brant) and Ted Raimi (Ted Hoffman) have been part of the film series since the very beginning, but their names aren't included in the opening billboards until ''Film/SpiderMan3''.

* After Yamada is introduced in the seventh episode of ''Manga/{{Working}}'', she is quickly added to the end credits of the episode, and then also included in the opening of the following episode.

* ''Series/LittleHouseOnThePrairie'': When the series began in 1974, only the actors that played the Ingalls family members – Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Melissa Sue Anderson, Melissa Gilbert, and twins Sidney and Robin Greenbush – were shown on camera (Charles and Caroline in the wagon, and the girls running down the hillside). Most of the supporting characters were listed under "The Town." However, there were several changes through the years:

* Everest of ''WesternAnimation/PawPatrol'' quickly becomes part of the opening after her introduction.

** A variation in the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls'' spin-off series. Starting with the post-''Rainbow Rocks'' shorts, Sunset Shimmer's silhouette is added next to Twilight in the Mane Six's ponies-to-humans EyeCatch shown at the end of each short, after she completes her HeelFaceTurn and more or less takes over TheProtagonist slot for the subsequent movies.

* Whenever a ''Franchise/PrettyCure'' series adds a SixthRanger, the opening will be updated to include them.

* In ''Series/{{House}}'', as of season 7, the intro has finally been updated to take out Morrison and add Jacobson and Wilde.

* ''Series/TwentyFour'' has done this for numerous recurring characters with each successive season. It happened with Creator/XanderBerkeley, Penny Johnson Jerald, and Carlos Bernard for season 2; Creator/ReikoAylesworth for season 3; Creator/LanaParrilla and Roger Cross midway through season 4; Creator/MaryLynnRajskub, Carlos Bernard (again), Creator/GregoryItzin, James Morrison, and Louis Lombardi for season 5; D.B. Woodside, Creator/JayneAtkinson, Carlo Rota, and Creator/EricBalfour for season 6; and Creator/BobGunton for season 7.
** Of note, just about any recurring actor or actress who appeared through an entire season give or take an episode (Bernard and Jerald in season 1, Aylesworth in season 2, Rajskub and Woodside in season 3, and Lombardi in season 4), they would generally get promoted to the show's main cast in the following one. Notably, unlike the others Mary Lynn Rajskub and D.B. Woodside actually both appeared in a second season while still part of the recurring cast before finally getting a promotion to the opening titles. In an interesting aversion, Creator/ZacharyQuinto also appeared in nearly the entire third season (he only missed one episode), but notably never appeared again in the show after that.
** After both getting demoted to guest stars in Seasons 5 and 6 respectively, for sequel mini-series ''Series/TwentyFourLiveAnotherDay'' (aka Season 9) both Kim Raver and William Devane were promoted back to regular cast members.

** Creator/JeffreyDeanMorgan (Negan), Creator/ChristianSerratos (Rosita Espinosa), Creator/AlannaMasterson (Tara Chambler) and Josh [=McDermitt=] (Eugene Porter) in Season 7.

** Katelyn Nacon (Enid), Creator/TomPayne (Jesus) and Creator/KharyPayton (Ezekiel) in Season 9.

** Melissa [=McBride=] (Carol Peletier) and Creator/ScottWilson (Hershel Greene) in Season 4.

** Creator/JeffreyDeanMorgan (Negan), Christian Serratos (Rosita Espinosa), Alana Masterson (Tara Chambler) and Josh [=McDermitt=] (Eugene Porter) in Season 7.
** Seth Gilliam (Gabriel) and Ross Marquand (Aaron) in Season 8.
** Katelyn Nacon (Enid), Tom Payne (Jesus) and Creator/KharyPayton (Ezekiel) in Season 9.

* Many recurring characters on ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'' began appearing in the second season opening, including [[DrillSergeantNasty Molotov]], [[CrazyAwesome Saffi]] (though she does have a blink-and-you'll-miss-it apperance in the first), [[RichBitch Jez]], and a few {{Recurring Extra}}s.

* ''WesternAnimation/Amphibia'' adds both Sasha and Marcy to the opening starting with season 2.

* Starting in Season 4 of ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', Luka, Kagami, Marc, and Zoe were added to the show's intro.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'': Adamaï is added to the opening in the second season, though strangely he's seen in his humanoid form [[BaitAndSwitchCredits which he never takes after the first season]]. [[InvertedTrope Conversely]], Sadlygrove is taken out because [[spoiler:he died at the end of the previous season]]. [[spoiler:Even after Sadlygrove turns only to be OnlyMostlyDead early into season two, he remains left out of the opening until the [=OVAs=].]]

* ''Series/{{Velvet}}: Despite being a main character from early season 1, Asier Gómez Etxeandía (playing in house designer Raul de la Rivas) didn't get promoted to opening titles until season 3.

* ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'': Sasha Pieterse was always a regular and Alison a main character, but at the start of the series Ali was missing – and by the end of the first episode, dead – so wasn't included with the other four main characters in the end of the original title sequence. When the sequence was redone halfway through the sixth season, Ali was back among the living, so this time she was included; she even got to be the first to deliver the "shh!" when it changed from always Aria to a CouchGag.