Young Loretta Durkin is shown at a performance of the Richard Rodgers musical "No Strings" which starred Diahann Carroll and Richard Kiley. The musical opened on Broadway in 1962 at the 54th Street Theater and later moved to the Broadhurst Theater and did not play at the fictional "Goosebury" Theater, depicted in this episode. The song being sung during the flashback, being performed by the Diahann Carroll character, is "The Sweetest Sounds" and is later reprised in the episode with an adult Loretta (Meryl Streep) playing piano and singing along with Oliver (Martin Short.)
The opening credits replaced Bunny (who was murdered last season) walking her bird with Howard walking his cat, Sevelyn.
Selena Gomez (Mabel Mora) and Paul Rudd (Ben Glenroy) previously worked together on the Netflix movie, The Fundamentals of Caring (2016). They played Dot and Ben Benjamin respectively.
The previous season's victim was the character of Bunny Folger, played by Jayne Houdyshell. Allison Guinn (K.T.) has played a character called Bunny in the TV show, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017).
This isn't the first time Paul Rudd has played a character called Ben. In the movie, The Fundamentals of Caring (2016), he played the character of Ben Benjamin.