The episode title is a reference to a line in the song "Baba O'Riley" (1971) by The Who: "Don't cry, don't raise your eye / It's only teenage wasteland"
This episode appears to be based on the 2000 murder of Jin-Sheng Liu.
Brennan Brown has played three different roles over the course of the series:
- Episode 11.12 Teenage Wasteland (2001) - Forensic Technician.
- Episode 13.5 The Ring (2002) - Donald Houseman (uncredited).
- Episode 20.8 Doped (2009) - Defense Attorney Hoyt.
Brenda Pressley (A.D.A. Shannon Hayes) previously played the role of Danielle Lindsey in Episode 9.16, Harm (1999).