The show's twenty-two Emmy nominations in 2009 set a record for the most nominations a comedy show ever received in a single year. It was later beaten in 2024 when The Bear (2022) received twenty-three nominations.
In her 2011 book "Bossypants", Tina Fey said that during the early years of the show, Donald Glover was its only black writer. She also said that he was so young that when he started on the writing staff, he was still living in a New York University dorm, and working there as a Resident Adviser. Since he came from a large family in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Fey said that Glover was especially good at writing for the character of Kenneth, who was also supposed to be from Stone Mountain. He later made appearances on the show as well as becoming a star on Community (2009).