For this thread, I mean actors who were in enough of a season or the series as a whole to be warranted a spot as an official cast member, however, they were just listed as a recurring guest star. Some of my examples are…

Jonathan Banks (Buzz Hickey) was in 11 out of the 13 episodes of season five of Community. However, he was only listed as a Special Guest Star. Yet he was one of the group, sitting at the table with them. He was Chevy Chase’s replacement, who departed after four seasons.

Paget Brewster (Frankie Dart) was in all 13 episodes of season six of Community. She has the same story as Jonathan Banks, being listed as Special Guest Star, and being a part of the group, (she sat in Hickey’s old chair).

Keith David (Elroy Patashnik) was in 12 of the 13 episodes of season six of Community. Yet, like the two previously mentioned, was only a guest star. I guess it’s cheaper to just not include their names in the opening titles, but it does a disservice to the actors, in my opinion.

Ken Lawson (Carl), Gabrielle Carmouche (Raynelle), Lark Voorhies (Mercedes Langford) and Kenya Moore (Valerie Bridgeforth) were each in all six episodes of the shortened final season to In the House. Yet they were all listed as guest stars. The first three names mentioned had recurring roles in previous seasons and I feel they deserved to be official cast members by this point. In a case of the opposites, Lisa Arrindell Anderson (Heather Comstock) was listed as a cast member in the first two seasons, yet she only appeared in 3 out of 6 and 2 out of 20. But that’s an example for a different thread.

Nikki Cox (Taylor Clayton) was in all 22 episodes of the second season of Norm, yet she was only billed as a guest star (possibly a Special Guest Star, I don’t remember). She also appeared in 1 episode out of 10 for the show’s first season and 4 out of 22 in its third (and final) season. I don’t think she should have been a cast member for those two seasons, but she definitely should have been for the second, seeing as she was in every episode that year and had a major role.

Christine Elise (Emily Valentine) on Beverly Hills 90210. Never made it to opening credits or full time cast member status, even after the show added a lot of new characters later on. But most of those newer characters a have weak connection to the main characters of the series, and probably low popularity or memory with fans.

Interestingly enough, Elise is remembered enough, that she gets to be part of the BH90210 series albeit more like a recurring guest star again:

https://deadline.com/2019/06/bh90210-christine-elise-fox-series-reboot-emily-valentine-1202633934/

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Community was a great show, even though it had a more limited viewer base. When NBC stopped airing new episodes in the Fall (season 4 or so), it definitely decreased visibility - that I don't think many original fans watched those newer episodes with cast changes. I think NBC cut Thursday night sitcoms altogether at one point, for Biggest Loser.

Joan Cusack, as Sheila, was a main cast member of shameless. She didn't appear at all in the opening credits until season 3, and she was always referred to as a special guest star.

Richard Karn was just listed as a guest star in the first season of Home Improvement. They fixed this at the start of season 2. John Ratenberger was not in the opening credits for Cheers season 1, Cliff wasn't originally intended as a series regular role. This might have been the billing he wanted, but Edward Hermann was listed as a special guest star the entire run of the original Gilmore Girls series.

Alec Baldwin on SNL. It kind of seems SNL depended on him, a celebrity guest star, to play Trump because there was no one it felt it had in the cast that was the right fit. Having parodies of Presidential and politics is a big part of SNL's appeal. It's typically one sketch per episode but usually the first one of the night and one that gets visible on social media the next day.

Had the 2016 election gone the other way, there would be a bigger role for Kate McKinnon , actual cast member, and less need for Alec Baldwin. SNL/NBC might have to find a new person to play the part with his comments that he might no longer play it.

Klinger and Father Mulcahy were not cast members of MASH until season 5, despite debuting in season 1.

Richard Karn was just listed as a guest star in the first season of Home Improvement. They fixed this at the start of season 2. John Ratenberger was not in the opening credits for Cheers season 1, Cliff wasn't originally intended as a series regular role. This might have been the billing he wanted, but Edward Hermann was listed as a special guest star the entire run of the original Gilmore Girls series.

Well, in the case of Richard Karn, this was because he was actually supposed to have been a placeholder cast member. The producers of Home Improvement actually intended for Tim's sidekick to be named Glenn and be played by Stephen Tobolowsky. However, Tobolowsky was shooting a movie at the time and was thus unavailable. So Karn was cast until Tobolowsky could become available, but Tobolowsky decided that he just couldn't commit to a weekly TV series, and Karn ended up joining the cast permanently. As for John Ratzenberger, Cliff wasn't always intended to be a character on the series. Ratzenberger had actually initially auditioned to play Norm. However, when George Wendt got the part instead, Ratzenberger, figuring he had nothing to lose, asked the producers if the ensemble contained a bar know-it-all and actually managed to improvise such a character for them. As a result, the writers created the part of Cliff for him to play.

That was a major disaster dodged! Stephen Tobolowsky would have been awful if he had been on Home Improvement instead of Richard Karn.

That was a major disaster dodged! Stephen Tobolowsky would have been awful if he had been on Home Improvement instead of Richard Karn.

Agreed. Stephen Tobolowsky is a good actor, but he wasn't right for the Al part at all imo.

I don't recall the particulars, but I've read that the supporting cast of Green Acres was disappointed that they were treated as week-to-week performers. I think they thought they were being typecast by the show, without the security of being under contract.

They weren't treated properly but I think the majority of them were under contract. The main issue was publicity in that only Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor were credited as the "stars" of the show and thus any newspaper or magazine article on Green Acres focused exclusively on them. The rest of the cast barely got any exposure despite being equally as important to the success of the series.

This was an ensemble sitcom and IMO they really deserved a spot in the opening credits.

Alec Baldwin on SNL. It kind of seems SNL depended on him, a celebrity guest star, to play Trump because there was no one it felt it had in the cast that was the right fit. Having parodies of Presidential and politics is a big part of SNL's appeal. It's typically one sketch per episode but usually the first one of the night and one that gets visible on social media the next day.

I don't think this really counts. SNL cast members are contractually obligated to the show full-time by contract (have to perform in a large variety of skits week after week) and also do a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff as well (like pitching ideas and writing skits). Baldwin isn't contractually obligated to do anything.

Klinger and Father Mulcahy were not cast members of MASH until season 5, despite debuting in season 1.

Klinger actually became a cast member in Season 4.

I don't think this really counts. SNL cast members are contractually obligated to the show full-time by contract (have to perform in a large variety of skits week after week) and also do a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff as well (like pitching ideas and writing skits). Baldwin isn't contractually obligated to do anything.

Of course the contracts and work expection is going to be different. My point was NBC/SNL's dependence on a guest, Baldwin, to play Trump these last few years. Those political sketches are a big draw for tuning in, and what typically gets replayed the next day on CNN, the morning shows and other outlets.