The series was originally titled Ed, then renamed Stuckeyville while in development at CBS, before reverting to the title Ed once it was picked up by NBC.

In the unaired pilot, Donal Logue originally played Phil and Janeane Garofalo guest-starred as Ed's ex-wife Liz, but Logue was replaced by Michael Ian Black in re-shot scenes and for the rest of the series.

Several different actresses played Ed's ex-wife Liz throughout the show's run, including Lea Thompson, who took on the role in several episodes near the end of the series.

Although set in the fictional town of Stuckeyville, Ohio, most of the series was actually filmed in northern New Jersey towns such as Montclair, Westfield, and Cranford, as well as in Rockland County, New York, with many street and town names on the show taken directly from real New Jersey locations.

The bowling alley set, Stuckeybowl, was the real former Country Club Lanes in Northvale, New Jersey, which also served as the show's production headquarters, with sets for the high school, courtroom, and diner built inside a cleared-out portion of the building; the real bowling alley later closed and was demolished in spring 2006 to make way for housing.

The opening theme was 'Next Year' by Foo Fighters for most of the series, except during the entire second season when it was replaced by Clem Snide's 'Moment in the Sun' due to unresolved business issues; 'Next Year' returned in season three in the U.S., though 'Moment in the Sun' continued to be used internationally.

A framed Foo Fighters poster was displayed on the wall of principal Molly Hudson's office at Stuckeyville High School, a nod to the show's recurring theme song.

Despite receiving Primetime Emmy nominations and strong critical acclaim, the series has never been released on DVD or made available on streaming platforms, largely due to complications with music rights and the fact that the show was co-owned by two different studios.