The guest role in this episode was originally written for Michael Caine, the joke being that Caine's propensity for appearing in anything also included working in the Kwik-E-Mart. When Caine turned down the offer, the role was re-written for James Woods, with the joke being that he was working at the Kwik-E-Mart because he was researching a role.
James Woods was one of animation director James Woods's favorite guest stars. David Mirkin said he provided one of the "most fantastic" performances ever on the show, and commented that he "nailed" all of his lines and was "so funny, right at the top of his head".
Lisa's "I can see through time" line after eating Apu's very spicy food is a reference to the Spice Melange in Frank Herbert's Dune novels.
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, David Mirkin stated that when he took over the show, he wanted to "bring it back" to character and story, unlike the previous season which got "so fast-moving and so full of cutaway gags". Mirkin added: "I explored the characters a little more, took them a little further. I had one of the first episodes where Homer was really tempted by another woman, The Last Temptation of Homer (1993), and Bart having a girlfriend even nastier than himself, Bart's Girlfriend (1994), plus more of a focus on side characters. We did the first episode to really feature Apu as a main character. Those were my goals."
David Silverman said that when most guest stars come in to record their lines for the show, they are a little nervous because they have never done voice-over before. David Mirkin noted, however, that James Woods was a "fearless guy" and he was "so excited to do it because he was a huge fan of the show". Silverman noted that in addition to his humorous ad-libbing, Woods's tendency to hesitate while speaking was "great for animation", explaining that it made the character feel more realistic.