Studio 60

Timothy Busfield plays Cal Shanley, the director for Studio 60. He actually directed 5 episodes of the series. Likewise, Bradley Whitford, who plays Danny Tripp, a feature film director, directed the final episode of the series

Harriet's inability to tell a joke is based on Sarah Paulson's own inability to do so. Aaron Sorkin heard she had that problem and thought it was hilarious, so he wrote it into the show.

The title of the show was originally 'Studio 7 on the Sunset Strip'. The title was changed after it was discovered that there was a short-lived WB game show by that name.