Kiefer Sutherland's name is mentioned in this episode in connection with the series finale of 24. The previous episode saw Sutherland's daughter, Sarah Sutherland, feature on the show, playing the part of Mary, the college student who Charlie wanted Don to do an interview with.
The title of the episode, What Kind Of Day Has It Been, is the fourth time Aaron Sorkin has used this title. It was the title of the last episode of the first season for Sports Night, The West Wing and Studio Sixty on the Sunset Strip. The Newsroom is the first time it's been used as the last episode of the Third and final season.
In the flashback sequence, Will references Aaron Sorkin's first fictional news show, Sports Night. The softer version of Will goes to the first break with the words, "so stick around." This is the same tag line that Dan and Casey used throughout the series when going to the first commercial break.
The guitar Jeff Daniels plays is a 2012 custom signature edition OM copy by The Martin Guitar Company of his personal guitar, a 1934 Martin C-2 archtop guitar conversion.
The song performed by Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels), Jim Harper (John Gallagher Jr.) and Bo (Jared Prokop) at the end of the episode is "That's How I Got To Memphis" by Tom T. Hall. It is heard earlier when Charlie Skinner (Sam Waterston) is listening to Hall's 1969 recording of it because, as he explains to McAvoy, his grandson, Bo, likes it. Hall also wrote "Harper Valley P.T.A.", which was a major international hit single for country singer Jeannie C. Riley in 1968.