This was the first "McMillan" episode filmed. On the first day of shooting, a simple scene where Agatha tells Mac that his breakfast is ready, had to be reshot numerous times because Rock Hudson kept doubling over in laughter at Martha Raye's (Agatha) manner and goofy-looking eyeglasses.
This episode was filmed just after Martha Raye's 60th birthday in late August 1976, an unusually late start for filming at the time (Universal Television put the series on hold while the new cast was hired and script adjustments made).
When Ellyn Mandrake (Shirley Jones) arrives at the house, Agatha (Martha Raye) mentions Sally's plane crash.
When Sgt. DiMaggio introduces himself he often says, "no relation," which is in reference to Joe DiMaggio, the Hall of Fame outfielder for the New York Yankees. While Joe DiMaggio is usually associated with New York, because of the Yankees, he maintained a strong connection to San Francisco, where he grew up and lived after he retired from baseball.
First episode of the season to be filmed but third episode to be transmitted. Which is quite obvious when as it features expositional information about the new characters and McMillan's widower status.