# Actors remaining in credits sequences despite being written out **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 21, 2014, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585 "2014-04-21T05:38:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Garula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Garula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garula)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/1 "2014-04-21T05:38:35Z")
Recently I watched through all of _Veronica Mars_. Something that caught my attention (slightly suggestive but not explicit spoilers follow) is that in a couple cases actors whose characters were prominently featured in the opening credits sequence were written out of the show with a large chunk of the current season still remaining. The credits weren’t updated to reflect the change. As I understand it, credits placement can be a big part of contract negotiations and re-editing a new sequence can be more of a hassle than its worth. But still, it’s a bit jarring to see an actor regularly featured despite no longer being a part of the show. So, my question would be what is the longest an actor has remained in an opening credits sequence despite having been written off the show? Has anyone’s credit status ever survived the transition to a new season? ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/2 "2014-04-21T15:25:02Z")
Chief Vick was absent for the final season of Psych, though she did appear briefly in the season finale. Not sure if that meets your criteria. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/3 "2014-04-21T15:49:25Z")
In **A Christmas Story** (1983), there was, apparently, an entire Flash Gordon/Ming The Merciless sequence filmed and then excised for some reason. Colin fox as Ming, Paul Hubbard as Flash. Names are still on the end credits. I would love to see that bit. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/4 "2014-04-21T17:02:14Z")
Wasn’t Kevin Costner’s name in the credits for _The Big Chill_, despite having all his scenes cut? Also, the opening credits of many _Sopranos_ episodes continued to list names of actors/actresses who had previously gotten whacked or died of other causes, though I’m at a loss to come up with any specific example. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/5 "2014-04-21T17:11:35Z")
The closing credits of _Naked Gun_ included: “Man and Woman Deleted from Fireworks Scene… GREG & SHARON BRESLAU” I thought it was pretty decent of them. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/6 "2014-04-21T17:14:05Z")
Currently, **Glee** continues to display the names of the various actors whose characters remained in Ohio, even though the show has for several episodes (and presumably ongoing) been set entirely in New York. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/7 "2014-04-21T18:40:03Z")
> [@Garula](#): > > Recently I watched through all of _Veronica Mars_. Something that caught my attention (slightly suggestive but not explicit spoilers follow) is that in a couple cases actors whose characters were prominently featured in the opening credits sequence were written out of the show with a large chunk of the current season still remaining. The credits weren’t updated to reflect the change. Who? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/8 "2014-04-21T19:30:20Z")
Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer remained in the opening credits for _House, M.D._ long after their characters were no longer appearing in any kind of regular capacity. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/9 "2014-04-21T20:06:55Z")
Alex Hyde-White was credited as being younger Prof. Henry Jones in **Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade** , but didn’t make the final cut. His credit is still there, though. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/10 "2014-04-21T20:09:37Z")
Michael Biehn is in the Terminator 2 credits even though his scene got cut (although it is in the extended cut) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/11 "2014-04-21T20:17:03Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer remained in the opening credits for _House, M.D._ long after their characters were no longer appearing in any kind of regular capacity. Spencer didn’t leave the show. Chase left House’s team temporarily, but remained at Princeton-Plainsboro as a surgeon. He then returned to the diagnostic team in Season 6, where he remained until the end when he took the team over in the finale. Spencer never left the series as a regular. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/12 "2014-04-21T20:20:28Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Also, the opening credits of many _Sopranos_ episodes continued to list names of actors/actresses who had previously gotten whacked or died of other causes, though I’m at a loss to come up with any specific example. In the final season Michael Imperioli was credited for the last three episodes of the season, although Christopher was killed in the fourth from last. On the other hand, while neither Lorraine Bracco nor Steve Schirripa appeared in the final episode (Melfi having quit on Tony and Bacala having been whacked) Bracco was credited and Schirripa was not. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/13 "2014-04-21T20:25:24Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer remained in the opening credits for _House, M.D._ long after their characters were no longer appearing in any kind of regular capacity. Morrison is a good example. She is listed in 13 episodes in season 6 after her regular appearances ended. (She also missed a few other episodes here and there.) The run of "credit only"s strangely ends just before the season finale. Not so much with Spencer. He is “credit only” in just 6 episodes total, fairly scattered about. No two of them in a row. Speaking of medical shows … Katherine Heigl missed out on a lot of season 6 (!) of _Grey’s Anatomy_. “Credit only” in 11 episodes total with the last block being 6 shows in a row. Again, the last is before the season finale. (OTOH, both Kate Walsh and Isiah Thomas could be seen in stock bumper footage that was re-used after they were no longer on the show. No credit, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/14 "2014-04-21T20:46:47Z")
[Jack Soo](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0814530/?ref_=nv_sr_1)was credited with 101 episodes of\* Barney Miller\*, but was fighting cancer and didn’t appear in 24 of those episodes, including something like 12 in a row before he died. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/15 "2014-04-21T21:15:59Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > In **A Christmas Story** (1983), there was, apparently, an entire Flash Gordon/Ming The Merciless sequence filmed and then excised for some reason. Colin fox as Ming, Paul Hubbard as Flash. Names are still on the end credits. I would love to see that bit. There’s apparently no surviving footage, but [here’s the script](http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/index.php/a-christmas-story-movie-facts/deleted-scenes/). ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/16 "2014-04-21T21:24:10Z")
^ Cool! Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Garula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Garula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garula)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-remaining-in-credits-sequences-despite-being-written-out/686585/17 "2014-04-22T03:07:58Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Who? Teddy Dunn as Duncan and John Muhny as Sheriff Lamb. Duncan runs off to Mexico somewhere in the middle chunk of season 2 and aside from a couple scenes in the season finale doesn’t return. Lamb gets killed about two thirds into season 3.