'Studio 60' trivia and fun facts

The character Andy Mackinaw is loosely based on 'Studio 60' writer T. Rafael Cimino, the nephew of legendary film director Michael Cimino.

Harriet's inability to tell a joke is based on Sarah Paulson's own inability to do so. Aaron Sorkin heard she had that problem and thought it was hilarious, so he wrote it into the show.

Matthew Perry originally turned down the role of Matt Albie but Aaron Sorkin did not want to have anyone else play the part and apparently would not take "No" for an answer. Perry reconsidered and decided to jump on board

The title of the show was originally 'Studio 7 on the Sunset Strip'. The title was changed after it was discovered that there was a short-lived WB game show by that name.

Timothy Busfield plays Cal Shanley, the director for Studio 60. He actually directed 5 episodes of the series. Likewise, Bradley Whitford, who plays Danny Tripp, a feature film director, directed the final episode of the series