This is the second of three projects titled "Partners" with which director James Burrows has been involved, after the 1982 Ryan O'Neal and John Hurt movie and before the 2012 Michael Urie and David Krumholtz TV series.
The show had a running subtle reference to the idea that, during the 1980s, Jon Cryer was frequently mistaken for Matthew Broderick. Bob would sometimes refer to Matthew Broderick movies such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986).