system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why are different actors credited in different ways during the credits of TV shows? For example, "Starring Actor A, Actor B, Actor C, featuring Actor D and Actor E, with Actor F and Actor G, guest starring Actor H"

The only one I really get is "guest starring", but what's the difference between "starring", "featuring", and "with"?
gpt
Each actor wants their billing to be as prestigious as possible, and will often negotiate in their contract for a certain type of billing. "Starring" at the front of the credits is obviously the most desirable. Sometimes, an important actor with a lot of leverage playing a non-starring character will get *last* billing that is somehow distinguished; for instance, in the credits of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the established actor Anthony Stewart Head is billed last as "with Anthony Stewart Head as Giles".

The rules and guidelines for this are arcane, and it would be nice if someone with a more thorough understanding of them could explain in greater detail.