Producer Richard J. Lewis chose Erinn Carter Hayes for the role of Debbie because he remembered how much she resembled Jorja Fox when she previously auditioned for a role on the show.
When new episodes are aired for the first time, the dates mentioned tend to correspond to the actual date. For example, this episode (aired on 15 January 2004) features a carton of milk expiring on the 23rd; one of the investigators remarks that the expiry date is "eight days from now", which would only be true on the 15th of the month.