The name of Robert Loggia's character, FBI agent Nick Mancuso, is also the name of the real life actor, best known for his title role in the NBC TV series Stingray (1985). This initially caused Nick Mancuso to protest the title character's name to his former network, without success. However, Nick Mancuso later learned that the name choice and character were partially inspired by his work on Stingray with Stephen J. Cannell. Through this connection Robert Loggia and Nick Mancuso became mutual admirers of each other's work and went on to work together in Wild Palms, Real Gangsters, and The Big Fat Stone.
Steve Sohmer joined NBC in 1982 working directly with Stephen J. Cannell who created the series Stingray starring Nick Mancuso. Partially inspired by the work of Stephen J. Cannell and Nick Mancuso's work on Stingray, Steve Sohmer created the character FBI agent Nick Mancuso for his novel Favorite Son.