When Thelma and Michael return, JJ drops the medical encyclopedia and grabs an issue of Ebony Magazine. The cover of the issue features Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford, the stars of one of Norman Lear's other hit shows, The Jeffersons (1975).
Both Jay Leno and David Letterman were writers for the show. Leno also had a cameo in the episode "J.J. In Trouble".
Due to the sensitive nature of this story, a parental warning was posted prior to the opening for the only time during the series run.