To differentiate the show from Saturday Night Live (1975), the writer/performers decided to integrate musical guests into the plots of the episodes. The Fishin' Musician sketch was created as a way to highlight the musical guests if no other sketch was available. While some of the musical acts were chosen by the network, cast members asked for their own guests. For example, Eugene Levy and Dave Thomas requested Roy Orbison and Tony Bennett respectively - both of whom were at relative low points in their careers.
At the time of the show Andrea Martin and Martin Short were in-laws: Martin was married to Bob Dolman (they divorced in 2004), brother of Short's wife Nancy (who passed away in 2010).
This show was originally produced in Toronto, Canada as a parody of American (U.S.) television. Nevertheless, Canadian content rules for Canadian television shows required some reference to Canada, and the fact that most of the cast members were Canadian wasn't enough. So the regulators were asked if a couple of Canadian hosers sitting around drinking Canadian beer talking about stuff would do it, and so Great White North was born.
Catherine O'Hara had written a sketch in which Lola Heatherton needed backup dancers. She auditioned professional dancers and was disappointed to find they couldn't fake dancing badly. O'Hara enlisted the show's costume designer Juul Haalmeyer as the leader of "The Juul Haalmeyer Dancers." (The name was chosen because it echoed the real-life June Taylor Dancers). Haalmeyer had done just enough musical theater in high school to be able to be believable as a "bad" dancer, The rest of the dance troupe was made up whoever was on the set for the taping, ensuring the desired effect of inept performers.
Martin Short's character Jackie Rogers, Jr. was based in part on Sammy Davis, Jr., but his look was inspired by Mickey Rooney, Jr. Short saw the younger Rooney perform and thought he had albinism (in fact he was simply very blond).