Jim's band in the series is the real-life House Of Blues band "The Sacred Hearts", of which Jim Belushi is often lead singer.
In the series, Cheryl (Courtney Thorne-Smith) has a cat named Mr. Feeney. Feeney is the last name of producer Mike Feeney.
In season six, episode thirteen, "The At-Bat", the "grown up Kyle" was played by Jim Belushi's real-life son, Robert. Also, the "mean girl on the bike" at the game was his real-life daughter, Jamison. Both appeared in the show several times.
In one episode, Jim complains about a DVD player breaking down while he was trying to watch Double détente (1988), which starred Jim Belushi.
Before the show first aired, it was titled "The Dad".