Moore was initially hesitant about taking on a new sitcom role, fearing any new character would suffer in comparison with her beloved Laura Petrie character from The Dick Van Dyke Show, which also aired on CBS.

Mary Richards' character was originally intended to be a divorcée, but CBS worried that audiences might think she had divorced Rob Petrie from The Dick Van Dyke Show, so the premise was changed to a single woman recovering from a broken engagement.

According to co-creator Allan Burns, Minnesota was chosen as the show's setting after a writer started discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the Minnesota Vikings football team.

Although Dick Van Dyke never guest-starred on the show, his brother Jerry Van Dyke appeared in a couple of episodes during the third and fourth seasons.

Aside from establishing shots and the title sequence filmed on location, the entire show was shot at the CBS Studio Center in Los Angeles.

The exterior shots of Mary's apartment used a real house at 2104 Kenwood Parkway in Minneapolis, designed by architect Edward Somerby Stebbins in 1892; after fans discovered the location, the owners posted an 'Impeach Nixon' sign under Mary's supposed window to discourage additional filming by camera crews.

Sonny Curtis wrote and performed the opening theme song 'Love Is All Around,' and its lyrics were changed between the first and second seasons to reflect Mary Richards becoming settled in her new home.

In the film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Ron's dog is named Baxter as a reference to anchorman Ted Baxter, and the head newsroom character is named Ed as a tribute to actor Ed Asner.

The show's 29 Emmy Awards set a record that remained unbroken until Frasier earned its 30th Emmy in 2002.

In 1997, TV Guide ranked the episode 'Chuckles Bites the Dust' No. 1 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.