Studio 60

The character Andy Mackinaw is loosely based on 'Studio 60' writer T. Rafael Cimino, the nephew of legendary film director Michael Cimino.

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

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.