The show was originally based on the life of its creator Kenny Schwartz, and the fictional 'Beacon Street Pizza' was based on a real pizza restaurant called Theo's Pizza in Teele Square, Somerville, Massachusetts, where Schwartz worked while attending nearby Tufts University.

Although the series is set in Boston, it was actually filmed at CBS Studio Center in Studio City, Los Angeles.

Season 1 episodes aired out of order, causing continuity issues such as Pete and Melissa appearing together in episode 8 ('Party') despite having already broken up in episode 5 ('Apartment'); on the DVD release these are reordered as episodes 2 and 7.

Nathan Fillion and Suzanne Cryer joined as recurring characters Johnny Donnelly and Ashley Walker starting in season two.

For the series finale, titled 'The Internet Show,' four different endings were filmed and fans voted online to decide whether Sharon, Ashley, or Irene should become pregnant, or whether none should be; the plan was for the chosen pregnant character (ultimately Ashley) to give birth in a fifth season that was never made due to the show's cancellation.

The series premiere, 'The Pilot,' was watched by almost 18 million viewers and was ABC's biggest opening since Spin City, while the show peaked in season two with an average of 12.0 million viewers.

In 2001, ABC moved the show from its midweek slot to a Friday night 'death slot,' causing average viewership to drop from 10.2 million to 6.7 million, which contributed to its cancellation.

The theme song for the first two seasons was an instrumental cover of 'Blister in the Sun' by the Violent Femmes, while seasons 3 and 4 used a different, more modern title sequence with the cast dancing in suits and dresses.

The band Blink-182 appeared in the season 3 episode 'Au Revoir Pizza Place,' performing at the pizza place naked, referencing their then-current single 'What's My Age Again?'

Recurring mailman character Roger, played by Dian Bachar, was written to behave like the Cheers character Cliff Clavin, acting as though his menial job required great skill, and was later revealed to be an army reservist trained to snap a man's neck with one hand.