The character of Harriet Hayes was partially based on Kristin Chenoweth, whom Aaron Sorkin had previously dated; the on-screen Matt/Harriet breakup even echoed a real 2005 controversy when Chenoweth appeared on The 700 Club.

The character Jordan McDeere was loosely based on former ABC Entertainment President Jamie Tarses, who actually served as a consultant on the show.

Journalist character Martha O'Dell, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, was based on columnist Maureen Dowd, who had also once dated Aaron Sorkin.

The series was originally announced in 2003 and was tentatively titled 'Studio 7 on the Sunset Strip' during development, before NBC and CBS entered an intense bidding war for the rights in October 2005.

Studio 60 debuted the same season as the similarly-themed 30 Rock, leading to speculation only one would survive; Aaron Sorkin even asked Lorne Michaels to let him observe Saturday Night Live for a week, but Michaels refused.

Despite Studio 60 having higher ratings than 30 Rock in their first season, NBC canceled Studio 60 after one season because it was far more expensive to produce, while 30 Rock went on to run for seven seasons.

Entertainment Weekly named Studio 60 the worst TV show of 2006, and Time listed it among '5 Things That Went From Buzz to Bust,' yet it was also named Best Overall New Program by a Broadcasting and Cable critics' poll based on the pilot alone.

In 2011, Aaron Sorkin appeared as himself in a 30 Rock episode ('Plan B') where, after mentioning his other achievements, he snaps 'Shut up!' when Liz Lemon brings up Studio 60.