The exterior shot of Stratton Mansion shown during the opening credits is actually Compton Wynyates, a Tudor period English country house located in Warwickshire, England.
During the series' first three seasons, Ricky Schroder, Alfonso Ribeiro, and other child actor cast members attended school with fellow child actors who also starred on NBC shows of the era. These included cast members from Il mio amico Arnold (1978), L'albero delle mele (1979), Hello, Larry (1979), La piccola grande Nell (1981), Casa Keaton (1982), Punky Brewster (1984) and La famiglia Hogan (1986).
Jason Bateman spoke of his friendship with Ricky Schroder during the show: "He was new to L.A., new to California, so I took him under my wing. He just moved from NYC, so he wasn't used to the culture and didn't know anyone. A lot of times, it was us getting on bikes during taping breaks and getting into some kind of trouble, you know, like preteen kids tend to do. After I left the show, we lost touch and we rarely talk anymore, but no hard feelings, at least on my end."
The character of Derek Taylor (portrayed by Jason Bateman) became so popular that the show's producers became concerned that he was upstaging Silver Spoon's star Ricky Schroder. The character was subsequently dropped after the second season. Bateman went on to star in his own short lived series, It's Your Move (1984), before being cast as Valerie Harper's eldest son in the NBC sitcom La famiglia Hogan (1986).
The show was known for the living room filled with arcade games. Jason Bateman stated that the cast and crew would take turns playing the games during taping breaks, placing wagers on who could get the high score.