Aziz Ansari searched for two Indian actors to play his parents, but was unable to find anyone suitable for the roles, and eventually cast his real life parents, who are not actors.
Like his character, Aziz also interned for Nickelodeon in his early 20s.
Many jokes in the series were written by the late Harris Wittels, such as the "turtle in the briefcase" text and the Eminem debate.
One of the few television series presented in the "CinemaScope" 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Aziz Ansari stated several aspect ratios were tested when developing the series, and he found the widescreen ratio to be the most dynamic.
Ansari's brother, Aniz, was a staff writer on the series.