A deleted scene for this episode reveals that Mr. Kowchevski, the math teacher, is gay.
Ben Stiller agreed to make a guest appearance as a personal favor to Judd Apatow, in an attempt to improve the show's ratings. However, by the time the episode aired, the series had already been officially canceled.
The name of Ben Stiller's character in this episode, Secret Service Agent Meara, is a reference to Stiller's mother, actress and long-time comedy partner of his father Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara.
While Judd Apatow was already impressed with Seth Rogen's work on the show (in Rogen's acting debut), his performance in the 17th episode was what convinced Apatow that not only would he use Rogen in any future TV projects, but that he wanted to have the young Canadian stand-up star in a screenplay he'd been working on. That screenplay ended up being "Knocked Up."
Music: "If My Friends Could See Me Now" by Linda Clifford; "Hail to the Chief," performed by McKinley High Band; "Fashion" by David Bowie; "The Road" by Jackson Browne