History Main / PromotionToOpeningTitles

Compare AscendedExtra.

* ''Series/{{Alias}}'' promoted several recurring characters to the opening credits over the years, specifically [[TheDragon recurring villain]] Sark (David Anders) at the start of season 2, [[PluckyComicRelief wise-cracking CIA agent]] Eric Weiss (Greg Grunberg) at the start of season 3 and Sydney's [[LongLostSibling long-lost sister]] Nadia Santos (Mia Maestro) at the start of season 4 and [[DarkActionGirl Shed operative]] Kelly Peyton (AmyAcker) midway through season 5. While Maestro was introduced late in season 3 specifically to serve as a regular character the following season, the others were promoted due to fan popularity. Grunberg is particularly notable as, despite featuring in more than half the episodes in season 1, he wasn't even credited as a guest star until the start of season 2.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' / {{Angel}}'':

** Michelle Trachtenburg (as Dawn), although she is only really a partial example. Trachtenberg was only a guest star for one episode, because her first appearance was supposed to be a surprise (and because Emma Caulfield had just been promoted in that episode).

* David Boreanaz, James Marsters, Emma Caulfield and Seth Green in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. And, because it appears that MutantEnemy has a rule that if you're going to do something, make it angsty, Creator/AmberBenson was also promoted in her third season - for one episode, then she was killed off (in a deliberate subversion of this trope). Marc Blucas was a bogus example, as he was marked for promotion from the moment he entered the show.

** Across the BuffyVerse in ''Series/{{Angel}}'', Andy Hallett took two and a half seasons to get promoted, and Mercedes [=McNab=] was promoted for the final six episodes only. Another ''Series/{{Angel}}'' example: Nearly everyone added to the opening credits [except David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter and Glenn Quinn, since they starred in the Pilot] guest starred in at least one episode before they were promoted. A common theme included the character appearing at the end of the previous season and returning in the fall as a new star.

* ''{{Taxi}}'' added Christopher Lloyd (Jim Ignatowski) to the opening credits in the tenth episode of season 2, while Carol Kane (Simka) was added at the beginning of the fifth and final season.

** B. D. Wong (Huang) and Tamara Tunie (Warner) on ''LawAndOrderSVU.''

* MaryMcDonnell as Captain Sharon Raydor in the final season (7) of ''TheCloser''. She now leads the SpinOff show ''MajorCrimes'', with most of the cast from ''The Closer''.

* In ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}'', Kotetsu, Ash's new rival, replaces Dawn in the Japanese opening after her guest stint on the show ends.

* ''{{Charmed}}'': Brian Krause (Leo Wyatt) was promoted in season 2 having been a recurring character in season 1, and Drew Fuller (Chris Halliwell) was promoted for season 6 having been a guest star in the final two episodes of season 5. As with all other regulars on the show, they are still only in the opening credits for episodes they actually appear in.

** Starting in season 4, they added several more prominent fan favorite characters, including Princess Luna, Zecora, Mayor Mare, Snips & Snails, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, and Discord.

** Starting in season 4, they added several more prominent fan favorite characters, including Princess Luna, Zecora, Mayor Mare and Discord.

This is when a RecurringCharacter finally achieves a high enough level of screen time and plot relevance to get added to the show's TitleSequence. Generally this is the most preferred method for someone new to be added to the main cast; when a character is created wholesale and put straight into the titles, it tends to be contrived to some degree, usually a replacement character or a response to a drop in {{ratings}}, while a PromotionToOpeningTitles mostly happens because the fans and/or the creators of the show really like the character.

Often marks the [[JumpTheShark beginning of the character's decline]], possibly into CreatorsPet-dom. {{Breakout Character}}s do this a lot.

Has the interesting side effect of giving a newly-promoted character a certain amount of Plot Immunity. If you see a new character in the opening credits, chances are high that they aren't going to be killed off any time soon ([[DeadStarWalking Unless that was the whole reason for the "promotion"]]).

* The WWE Signature vanity card can count for an intro, as well, and the "Power is Back" version was only changed three times, each time because those that were replaced either went to TNA or had done something to piss Vince McMahon off. Because of this, a few were promoted to the Signature as having lines. Ted DiBiase replaced Hogan when the latter went to TNA, John Cena was added to the end, and Michael Cole replaced Jim Ross. After the additions of Cole and Cena, the audio wasn't changed again for the rest of this Signature's duration.

** Apparently [[spoiler: Captain Hook]] has been promoted to a regular for the latter half of season two despite having ''not appeared in the series yet''.

* David Boreanaz, James Marsters, Emma Caulfield and Seth Green in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. And, because it appears that MutantEnemy has a rule that if you're going to do something, make it angsty, AmberBenson was also promoted in her third season - for one episode, then she was killed off (in a deliberate subversion of this trope). Marc Blucas was a bogus example, as he was marked for promotion from the moment he entered the show.

* IIRC, Andrea Barber (who played the role of Kimmy) wasn't included in the FullHouse opening title until Season 4 or 5 onward. Also, Lori Laughlin (who played Rebecca) got this treatment after her character was promoted from originally being intended as one-shot to being permanent.

* MaryMcDonnell as Captain Sharon Raydor in the final season (7) of ''TheCloser''. She now leads the SpinOff show 'Major Crimes,' with all the cast from ''TheCloser''.

* Voice actors Jonathan Hardy and Lani Tupu in ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' were never credited in the main title. In season three, however, recurring character Crais, also played by Tupu was promoted to lead status.
** As was Paul Goddard as Stark. In the final stretch of Season 1, Gigi Edgley got promoted. Wayne Pygram also got promoted in Season 3.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Jon Bradley (Samwell Tarly), James Cosmo (Jeor Mormont), Jerome Flynn (Bronn), Conleth Hill (Varys), Creator/SibelKekilli (Shae), and CharlesDance (Tywin Lannister) are promoted in Season 2.
** Oona Chaplin (Talisa Maegyr), Rose Leslie (Ygritte), and Joe Dempsie (Gendry) are promoted in season 3.

* ''OnePiece'' often mentions characters long before they appear or play a truly significant role, and leaves them out of the openings until they do. Blackbeard first appears in the sixth opening, despite having appeared in the series and being mentioned several times before that. Dragon, despite appearing in Loguetown and being mentioned on some occasions after that, became important enough to get in the opening after momentarily appearing in the Post-Enies Lobby arc and [[spoiler:being revealed as Luffy's father]]]. He also appeared briefly in the second opening, which began running during the Loguetown arc.
* ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' features a particularly ironic example. During A's, the Devices all received a direct promotion to opening titles. If one watches carefully, one can see Chrono Harlaown's Intelligent Device is among them. [[AllThereInTheManual Its name is never revealed outside of supplementary materials]][[hottip:*:It's [="S2U"=], a ''Lyrical Toy Box'' MythologyGag]], and it is replaced partway through the season by a Device called Durandal.
* In ''Fang of the Sun Dougram'', by the time George and Hackle finally get their places in the opening credits (with George [[spoiler:replacing Festa]]), they're already permanent and indispensable team members.

*** And then Wilde disappeared for the first half of season 7 to film ''TRON''and has been replaced in all but name by AmberTamblyn.