Ask AJ: She Has All the Answers (Part 2 for June)

What’s up with the “special appearance by” in the credits of shows like Gilmore Girls and Charmed?
– Nick

There are several nuances to explain regarding opening credits to answer this question. In short, the specific circumstance that you are asking about—to use your example, the fact that Edward Herrmann was always billed as “special appearance by” in the opening credits of Gilmore Girls—signifies that a major or prominent actor is appearing on the show in a minor (and at least somewhat regular) role. Herrmann’s character, Richard Gilmore, was a secondary character on the show and he did not appear in every episode. But Edward Herrmann himself is a significant cast member to have, so the producers gave him special billing. There are several other ways producers give credit to big names in television opening credits. In regard to Charmed, for the first three seasons of the series, the three principle cast members were billed as, “Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano.” Using the “and” right before the final principle cast member’s name—in this case, Alyssa Milano—draws attention to the fact that there is a divide between the names the viewer has just read and the names that come after. The “and” splits the primary and secondary cast. Charmed used the “and” throughout its eight seasons, but there was a shift with season four when Rose McGowan replaced Shannen Doherty. Holly Marie Combs was moved to the third position in the opening credits and the phrase “as Piper” was added after her name. This functions similarly to the phrase “special appearance by” except that it denotes a major actor in a major role. The producers were drawing special attention to Holly Marie Combs’ character. This is because, with the departure of Shannen Doherty, Alyssa Milano and Combs were given executive producer credits; Milano took first billing and Combs took third principle billing with the character name added. So, in conclusion, it’s all about notoriety and gaining recognition for the name and, at times, the character.

Are there TWO different Battlestar Gallactica shows? I ask because one time HULU showed BSG as being on their site, I tried to watch an ep (which I remember nothing about) and it was so boring I became convinced it was not the same show at all, and that the popular show we know about is actually a spin off or something. Also I didn't recognize any of the characters. – Rhiannon

Oh, Hulu. Always trying to trick people into thinking you have all the latest and greatest television on your site by prominently displaying the names of original series that no one cares about. To answer your question, yes, there are two different Battlestar Galactica series. The current and highly critically acclaimed BSG series you were looking for is a “reimagining” of the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica series that ran for only one season but spawned numerous franchise merchandise spin-offs including novelizations, comic books and more. In short, SciFi channel made a miniseries remake in 2003 that became so popular it spawned a regular television series that ran from 2004 through this past spring. Fun facts: Next year, SciFi will launch the prequel series based on the 2003 BSG called Caprica. The extended two-hour pilot of Caprica was released in April after the series finale of Battlestar Galactica.


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