History Main / PromotionToOpeningTitles

** This instance is the only promotion to opening titles ''within one series'' in ''Star Trek'' history. (Creator/ColmMeaney, a {{Recurrer}} on TNG, left that show for a regular role on [=DS9=].) All other additions to the opening titles were of characters introduced out of the blue. Andrew Robinson, who played Garak on [=DS9=], was offered the chance to be added to the show's opening titles, but declined.

** This instance is the only promotion to opening titles ''within one series'' in ''Star Trek'' history. (Colm Meaney, a {{Recurrer}} on TNG, left that show for a regular role on [=DS9=].) All other additions to the opening titles were of characters introduced out of the blue. Andrew Robinson, who played Garak on [=DS9=], was offered the chance to be added to the show's opening titles, but declined.
** The rest of the Original Series main cast, James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, and Walter Koenig, were billed in the opening credits of the movies.

* The US version of ''Series/{{The Office|US}}'' has two variants: characters who are promoted to the opening title sequence (Creator/EdHelms in mid-Season 6 and Creator/JamesSpader in Season 8), and characters who are promoted to the main cast listed after the credits [[note]]Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Creator/AngelaKinsey, Oscar Nunez, Phyllis Smith, Creator/MeloraHardin and David Denman in mid-Season 2, Creator/MindyKaling and Paul Lieberstein in Season 3 and Ed Helms in late Season 3, Creed Bratton and Craig Robinson in Season 4, Creator/EllieKemper in Season 6, Zach Woods in Season 7 and Amy Ryan in early Season 7, Creator/CatherineTate in mid-Season 8, Clark Duke and Jake Lacy in Season 9. Whew.[[/note]].

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': From season 2 and onwards, every actor added to the credits has previously been a recurring guest star in at least one season, with the exception of Creator/LiamCunningham (Davos Seaworth), Creator/StephenDillane (Stannis Baratheon), Creator/CariceVanHouten (Melisandre), and Creator/NatalieDormer (Margaery Tyrell). John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), Creator/JamesCosmo (Jeor Mormont), Creator/JeromeFlynn (Bronn), Creator/ConlethHill (Varys), Creator/SibelKekilli (Shae), and Creator/CharlesDance (Tywin Lannister) were promoted for season 2. Creator/PeterDinklage (Tyrion Lannister) was ''sort of'' promoted. Peter Dinklage has always been in the opening ("... and Peter Dinklage"), but as of Season 2, he's billed first, as opposed to Creator/SeanBean, who was demoted to head on a spike at the end of the first season. Creator/OonaChaplin (Talisa Stark), Creator/RoseLeslie (Ygritte), and Joe Dempsie (Gendry) are promoted in season 3. Creator/KristoferHivju (Tormund Giantsbane), Creator/GwendolineChristie (Brienne of Tarth), Creator/IwanRheon (Ramsay Snow), and Creator/HannahMurray (Gilly) are promoted in Season 4. Creator/MichielHuisman (Daario Naharis), Creator/NathalieEmmanuel (Missandei), Dean-Charles Chapman (Tommen Baratheon), Creator/IndiraVarma (Ellaria Sand), Tom Wlaschiha (Jaqen H'ghar), and Creator/MichaelMcElhatton (Roose Bolton) are promoted in Season 5. Creator/JonathanPryce (High Sparrow) is promoted in Season 6. Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm) is promoted in Season 8.

* Neil Flynn on ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', but only in the extended title sequence that was used for a few episodes of the second series until it was discarded after fans complained.

** ''Series/Supergirl2015'': Creator/KatieMcGrath (Lena Luthor) is a recurring cast member in Season 3 before becoming a main cast member starting the third season. Creator/JesseRath (Querl Dox) becomes a main cast member in Season 4 after being introduced as a RecurringCharacter in Season 3. Andrea Brooks (Eve Tessmacher) finally becomes a main cast member in Season 5 after spending her time as a RecurringCharacter since Season 2. Azie Tesfai is a recurring cast member in Season 4 before being part of the main cast in her following season.

* A lot of this is clear on ''Series/{{JAG}}''--Patrick Labyorteaux (Bud Roberts) and John M. Jackson (Admiral Chegwidden) were merely guest and recurring characters in the first season respectively before jumping to the main cast in the second year. The final season also saw this with Scott Lawrence (Sturgis Turner) and Zoe [=McClellan=] (Jennifer Coates). Creator/CatherineBell, however, appeared as one character in the first season, then joined the main cast as another character in the second.

* ''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, Jayne Atkinson, Carlo Rota, and Eric Balfour for season 6; and Creator/BobGunton for season 7.

** Andrea Lewis (Hazel Aden), Adamo Ruggiero (Marco del Rossi) and Stacey Farber (Ellie Nash) were also promoted in season 3.

* ''Series/WynonnaEarp'': [[EnsembleDarkhorse Katherine Barrell]] is promoted to regular status in season two.

* ''Series/OneTreeHill'': Barbara Alyn Lind was promoted to regular in season two, Lee Norris in season three, Creator/DanneelAckles and Antwon Tanner in season four, Lisa Goldstein in season six, Austin Nichols in seven, and Creator/StephenColletti, Jackson Brundage, Creator/ShantelVanSanten, Robert Buckley, and Jana Kramer in season eight.

* ''Series/CovertAffairs'': Creator/PeterGallagher, Sendhil Ramamurthy, and Creatir/AnneDudek all appeared as main characters throughout season 1, but were only added to the opening credits in season 2, forcing a revision and expansion of the animations.

** Lori Loughlin (as Rebecca Donaldson, Jesse's soon-to-be bride) is added for Season 3, after being a recurring character turned regular during the second season. Notably, in Season 3, she only appeared in the intro in episodes that she appears in, but from Season 4 onward she was credited in every episode.
** Andrea Barber (as annoying best friend Kimberly "Kimmy" Gibbler) is added in Season 5; she had been a recurring character way back in the first season, as this was a way to give Barber more screen time.

** 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.

** Season Three promotes Jim True-Frost, Seth Gilliam, Domenick Lombardozzi and JD Williams, who also were [[FakeGuestStar pretty much regulars already]], and promotes Corey Parker Robinson after a season-long absence, as well as legitimate guest star Robert Wisdom. Then there was Michael K. Williams, who memorably guest-starred during the first and second seasons, and who is now credited as a regular from this point on with the expansion of Omar's role.

* ''Series/CovertAffairs'': Creator/PeterGallagher, Sendhil Ramamurthy, and Anne Dudek all appeared as main characters throughout season 1, but were only added to the opening credits in season 2, forcing a revision and expansion of the animations.

* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': Season 1 recurrers James Kyson Lee and Creator/ZacharyQuinto were promoted for the second season. Season 3 promoted Cristine Rose, who had been recurring since the pilot. Additionally some have been promoted in the middle of their first season: Jack Coleman was promoted a few episodes into season one, Creator/DavidAnders was promoted around the time his character was revealed as [[spoiler:Adam Monroe]], and as of "Once Upon A time In Texas" this has occurred with Creator/RobertKnepper (though this was hyped up before the season even premiered).

** ''Series/Supergirl2015'': Creator/KatieMcGrath (Lena Luthor) is a recurring cast member in Season 3 before becoming a main cast member starting the third season. Jesse Rath (Querl Dox) becomes a main cast member in Season 4 after being introduced as a RecurringCharacter in Season 3. Andrea Brooks (Eve Tessmacher) finally becomes a main cast member in Season 5 after spending her time as a RecurringCharacter since Season 2. Azie Tesfai is a recurring cast member in Season 4 before being part of the main cast in her following season.

* ''Series/OneTreeHill'': Barbara Alyn Lind was promoted to regular in season two, Lee Norris in season three, Creator/DanneelAckles and Antwon Tanner in season four, Lisa Goldstein in season six, Austin Nichols in seven, and Stephen Colletti, Jackson Brundage, Creator/ShantelVanSanten, Robert Buckley, and Jana Kramer in season eight.

* The US version of ''Series/{{The Office|US}}'' has two variants: characters who are promoted to the opening title sequence (Creator/EdHelms in mid-Season 6 and Creator/JamesSpader in Season 8), and characters who are promoted to the main cast listed after the credits [[note]]Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nunez, Phyllis Smith, Melora Hardin and David Denman in mid-Season 2, Creator/MindyKaling and Paul Lieberstein in Season 3 and Ed Helms in late Season 3, Creed Bratton and Craig Robinson in Season 4, Creator/EllieKemper in Season 6, Zach Woods in Season 7 and Amy Ryan in early Season 7, Creator/CatherineTate in mid-Season 8, Clark Duke and Jake Lacy in Season 9. Whew.[[/note]].

** After catching her Eevee, the nextremix of ''Journeys'''s OP had Chloe as part of the main trio when in the first two versions she was OutOfFocus.

** [=LaMonica=] Garrett, who's been playing the Monitor since ''Series/Elseworlds2018'', is added as a regular to all four shows the following year during the lead up to ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''.

* On ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutron'', Libby is eventually in the title lineup at the end of the opening credits.

* {{Inverted|Trope}} by ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'', where [[ActionGirl Cassandra]] got promoted to the ''closing'' titles as of [[Recap/TangledTheSeriesS2E14RapunzelAndTheGreatTree Rapunzel and the Great Tree]], with her voice actress being credited alongside Creator/ZacharyLevi and Creator/MandyMoore ([=VAs=] of Eugene and Rapunzel) before everyone else, signifying that she's finally considered a main character. Well, it was about time![[note]]Yes, this continues ever for the episodes [[spoiler: where [[FaceHeelTurn she's a villain]]]].[[/note]]

* The second season of ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6TheSeries'' adds Fred's robot sidekick Mini-Max, who was introduced in Episode 15 of Season 1, to a few shots in the opening.

* {{Inverted|Trope}} by ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'', where [[ActionGirl Cassandra]] got promoted to the ''closing'' titles as of [[Recap/TangledTheSeriesS2E14RapunzelAndTheGreatTree Rapunzel and the Great Tree]], with her voice actress being credited alongside Creator/ZacharyLevi and Creator/MandyMoore ([=VAs=] of Eugene and Rapunzel) before everyone else, signifying that she's finally considered a main character. Well, it was about time!