In season 4’s intro, it shows Sam behind the fish tank with a kitten. But the Cat Story didn’t air until near the end of the season. It also has Nell walking into the living room with the black and yellow dress, and Joey doing the moonwalk. I’m about halfway through S4 and none of these things have happened yet. Normally they use clips that have been taped before the season actually premieres. The Moonwalk was in the Breakdancing episode, which was taped in October 84.

When these were remastered for DVD/syndication, did they re-edit the clips in the intro?

All the cast clips with their names were from “behind the scenes takes” or the cameramen just filmed them smiling, walking, doing something, et. Like when you look at the season 2 credit of Lara Jill, she wears yellow and we never see her in that I think. It must have been a tape blocking day or something...maybe table read? And the cameraman filmed her just talking and looking away from the camera like she was talking to someone in the living room. She had no braces in that intro, I believe.l Julie types on her typewriter in season 4...then sprays her wedding ring in season 5 and shows off her baby in 6...a few cast shots did happen during taping most likely, like Simpson at the table in season 3, Grandpa walking down the stairs in season 3, Grandpa fixing himself up in season 4-6...plus all the cast shots in season 1-2 most likely took place during tape shots or unused takes or in between takes.

Lara had a cat in that credit because she liked cats she said to me. It made no sense because they didn’t have a cat, and that cat was not the same as Sherlock.

That’s amazing that you know all this! I would’ve never known those were from rehearsals when they were doing their blocking. Saw something similar on the Golden Girls spin-off The Golden Palace that only ran for one season. Most of the clips in the opening intro were never seen in the actual episodes, except for a few different shots. I wonder if those were also from blocking days. They also could’ve been deleted scenes. For instance, it shows Blanche, Rose and Sophia walking up to the front desk (the Pilot), and Blanche does this funny walk before ringing the service bell but in the episode itself they get there and she says “we’re here!” Without doing that walk. There were also shots in the Golden Girls intro that were never seen in any episodes. Dorothy throwing her hands up (the 3 women on the couch) Blanche taking her arm out of the sleeve of her shirt, and Rose holding a pillow against her chest sitting on her bed with Dorothy and Blanche. There was also a shot of Blanche sitting at the kitchen table (intro for season 2-4) but from what I’ve seen, it must have been an alternate take because in the same episode she doesn’t do the same hand movements or facial expressions. She was wearing the blue blouse. The other one from season 5 onward was when she was in that beige pantsuit thing and it was from the episode where she wanted a boob job.

So that answers my question about those clips. Thanks!