Tara Billing In Opening Credits Confusion

[Joshua]

Now I know there's a thread already on this subject and I know the reason why Joss waited until "Seeing Red" but why didn't he bill Amber in the opening credits after Oz left in season 4 or after Riley left in Season 5? Tara was more liked and a fan favorite more than Oz/Riley.

Oz and Riley were hated characters weren't they?

 

[dexeded]

I'm sure Riley was a hated character, but I don't think Oz was... For me, I loved Oz from the moment I saw him, and I liked Riley well enough in his early appearances, and only found out the Riley hate when I got online.

I don't think they knew what they wanted to do with Tara exactly, so they didn't put her as a regular. Also, by the time they did figure it out, Joss probably wanted the shock factor of her death to be upped by making it the first episode she was billed in the opening credits. (I know Tara is generally well-liked, but was she an instant fan favourite back then? I was okay with her, but she was just always in the background for me.)

 

[BuffyElevated]

Now I know there's a thread already on this subject and I know the reason why Joss waited until "Seeing Red" but why didn't he bill Amber in the opening credits after Oz left in season 4 or after Riley left in Season 5? Tara was more liked and a fan favorite more than Oz/Riley.

Oz and Riley were hated characters weren't they?

I know that there is a lot of hate for Riley in the fandom, but where did you get that Oz was a hated character? He always seemed pretty loved to me...

Anyway, I always wondered why Amber wasn't made a regular in Season 5. She was there just as much as Marc was, so I thought she should have been a regular, too.

 

[Icarium]

Anyway, I always wondered why Amber wasn't made a regular in Season 5. She was there just as much as Marc was

No, she wasn't. There were episodes where she doesn't appear at all (The Replacement, No Place Like Home, Fool For Love) and even when she does Riley has more screen time than her. But considering she was about as important as Oz used to be, it is unfair that she only got into the credits for one episode. I guess it was done to save money and Amber was screwed because she was the least known member of the cast.

 

[nightshade]

Maybe Amber didn't want to be in the credits, as if you were than you were meant to be in every episode. Amber also did her own work as well as Buffy as shown by her making Chance at the same time, being in every episode may have restricted her from doing her own work.

 

[TeamSunnydale]

I was always disappointed that Amber Benson didn't get a main role in season 5, and even more so in season7; thought i think it was clever that she didn't get a main credit until the episode in which she died.

 

[Living Dead Boy]

I think it was Joss trying to mess with us. I'm not sure why he never put her in the credits to begin with, but putting her in the credits the episode she died was pure, cruel, sadistic Joss. Gotta love it. 😛

AND OZ FRICKIN ROCKS!

Here endeth the lesson.

 

[arabella]

I don't dislike Riley and I LOVE Oz!

I suppose I was just terribly inattentive to have just never noticed or thought about why she didn't get put in the opening credits if Oz had been. Interesting ideas about why...I hope it was related to her desire to do things outside of Buffy that kept her from full-time status and not something more unfortunate like budget constraints.

 

[WileyDairyGnome]

I don't understand why she wasn't in the opening credits either. She was definitely more important in character development than Oz was I think.

Maybe because Amber Benson wasn't very famous? But neither was Emma Caulfield... Although she was in basically every episode. I don't know. I wish Amber was in the opening credits... At least she's on one of the Season 6 discs. 😛

 

[Taake]

Well it's about contracts isn't it? And Amber had a recurring/guest starring role, she was never signed on to be part of the main cast and having her in the Seeing Red credits was just Joss shoutout because he loved the character. I think I remember a commentary when he talks about it in season 6 (might have to re-watch these), vaguely I'd say that it might have been budgeting, a regular cast member would have cost them more than a recurring guest, but I'll try to find this bit again and come back with something more conclusive 🙂

(Riley and Oz were in the credits because they were signed on as regulars, popular characters or not ))

 

[Anca]

From an old Amber Benson interview October 2002 (I can't post links, but if you google the question the results will send you to several active pages that have the entire interview transcribed)

Amber was interviewed by Chauncé Hayden in the October issue of Steppin' Out. The article was entitled "Buffy Star Looks Beyond Television."

I heard that when Buffy switched over from the WB Network to UPN that the people at UPN bought the whole cast lavish gifts. True or false?

Well I chose not to be a series regular, so I don't get the gifts or the big salary. But I also have the ability to go out and do movies in the middle of the season, which is really nice. If you give your heart and soul to Buffy, then you give your heart and soul to Buffy. But I didn't want to be in that place because my real love is film.

 

[NY State of Mind]

Some peeps just don't get it like Lorne in Angel...maybe cause once they put her in they felt obligated to keep her when they might of not known how far they wanted to go (i think she was supposed to be taken out s5 but they decided to keep her)...and once they knew what they wanted they just did it for the reasons you already know lol

 

[xfivebyfive]

Amber should have been added into the credits after Oz left. And definitely should have been in them by season 5. So what if she's not in every episode. In Smallville, Erica Durance (Lois) is added into the credits in season 5 but she isn't every episode of that season or 5,6,7,8,9. Its not until season 10 that she's in every episode. So I'm guessing its about the money. If she was in the credits she'd get paid more.