In some sentences, you will find the word "there" in the subject position. Some grammarians consider this "there" to be an "expletive." They then identify a word that appears later in the sentence as the subject. This explanation is acceptable in KISS Grammar.

     But KISS explains this pattern in two other ways:
     1. You can consider the "there" as the subject and the later word a predicate noun.

Portrait of  Jonathon Buttall (The Blue Boy) 1770 by Thomas  Gainsborough (1727 - 1788) Huntington Library  and Art Museum San Marino, CA

There [Expl] are five people at the table. or There are five people at the table. or There are five people (PN) at the table. Deep in the woods there [Expl] was a small house. or Deep in the woods there was a small house. or Deep in the woods there was a small house (PN). There [Expl] is a place for us. or  There is a place for us. or There is a place (PN) for us. Waiter, there [Expl] is a fly in my soup. or Waiter, there is a fly in my soup. or Waiter, there is a fly (PN) in my soup. There [Expl] must be no mistake this time. or There must be no mistake this time. or There must be no mistake (PN) this time.