Hunter Foster, who plays Scotty Simms (Michelle's brother), is the real-life brother of Sutton Foster, who plays Michelle. Like Sutton Foster, Hunter Foster has appeared in many Broadway musicals, including Les Misérables, Grease, The Producers, Urinetown, Little Shop of Horrors, Million Dollar Quartet, and Hands on a Hardbody.
Kelly Bishop plays a former ballerina and current ballet teacher in this show. Bishop won a 1976 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for originating the role of Sheila in "A Chorus Line." Sheila is one of three characters in "A Chorus Line" who sing the song "At the Ballet," about how their childhood love of ballet inspired their careers as Broadway chorus dancers.
In every episode someone from Amy's original show, Gilmore Girls, appears as a guest star. And star of the show Kelly Bishop (Fanny) also stared as Emily Gilmore in the hit series Gilmore Girls.
Many of the first season episodes mention Fanny's students auditioning for the Joffrey Ballet School Summer Intensive. This is a real program for ballet training, with branches in New York City, Florence (Italy), and Milledgeville (Georgia) (as well as Joffrey Jazz and Modern/Contemporary dance intensives in LA, NY, Miami, and Milledgeville).
On July 22, 2013, ABC Family released a statement announcing that "Bunheads" had been canceled. The statement said, "'Bunheads' is a wonderful series that we are very proud to have aired. The series had amazing storytelling, the most talented cast and a passionate and loyal fan base. Recognizing all of this, we took extra time to try and find ways to bring the series back for another season, but in the end it simply wasn't possible. We wish the cast and crew the best in their future endeavors."