Why do some opening credits alternate the name of the starring role?
I was watching a Living Single marathon and noticed how the opening credits alternated the starring role; first Queen Latifah was the star, then Kim Coles was the star; it continued to alternate. Also was watching Half and Half and the same happened... "Starring Rachel True" then "Starring Essence Atkins" just wondering.
Best Answer
I assume what you're asking about is the order the stars were listed in the credits (where the first one usually gets shown on-screen with the word "starring").
I once did a very long explanation here of how credits work, but the short answer to just about every question about TV credit structure is:
That's how the stars demanded it in their contracts.
In the specific cases you mention, the most likely answer is that both of the people in the those roles were considered "the star" of the show, in that neither of them was clearly more famous or more significant. Stars often demand "top billing" as part of their deal in order to get their name (which is basically the basis of their career) in front of viewers in a prominent position.
In order to keep two people happy who both wanted top billing, the studio may agree to just alternate. I seen this happen on a show-by-show basis as you mention, and also on a season-by-season basis. It all comes down to what the studio needed to do to convince the actors to do the show.
Pictures about "Why do some opening credits alternate the name of the starring role?"
Why do some credits say actor as character?
This is because there is a difference between how IMDb (or another source) lists the actor's name than their credit in a movie. The name after 'as' shows how they were credited in the movie.Why do some actors get and before their name in credits?
They are usually credited after the rest of the lead cast, prefixed by "and" or "with". In some cases, for extra emphasis the actor's name is followed by "as" and the name of the character (thus called an "and-as" credit).Do extras get their name in the credits?
Extras don't get film credits or lines. But they can get union wages, meals and perks \u2014 such as getting to read novels on the job.How are the opening credits of a movie different from the closing credits?
The opening credits inform the audience which studios or production companies were involved in making the film, and they run the names of the major stars in the cast. The end credits, which appear after the final scene of a film, list everyone involved in the production.THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY Season 3 Ending Explained | Your WTF Questions Answered
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