Studio 60

Matthew Perry originally turned down the role of Matt Albie but Aaron Sorkin did not want to have anyone else play the part and apparently would not take "No" for an answer. Perry reconsidered and decided to jump on board

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.

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