Originally planned as a spin-off of Dead Like Me (2003). Based on a rejected plotline for "Dead Like Me" (2003) where Ellen Muth's character couldn't collect any souls because somebody was resurrecting them with a touch.

Jim Dale, who voices the Narrator, was in Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World (1973). Digby is the name of Ned's dog. He was also the villain in Pete's Dragon, spoofed in the second season episode "The Legend of Merle McQuoddy".

In the UK the show aired on ITV1, who only had room in their schedule for the usual 8 episodes. Because there are actually 9 in Season 1, ITV1 didn't initially air episode 2 at all, until after the Season 2 finale. (ITV2, not widely watched, had aired it after the season 1 finale)

British Anna Friel, who plays Chuck, uses her American accent all the time when on set. The only person she will drop it for is her mother when she calls as she can't stand her daughter using her "American voice".

The curly font used for the credits, and various other text like some shop signs and books (including "Boutique Travel Travel Boutique") is called Harrington.

After ABC canceled the show at the end of 2008, the last three episodes of the 2nd season remained unaired until German TV-channel Pro7 aired them in March 2009. This means, the last three episodes of the show had their world premiere on German television and were not aired in the US until May 30th through June 13th 2009.

  • The Cast Showoff: Kristin Chenoweth can sing! Ellen Greene as well.
  • Fake American: Britain's Anna Friel as Chuck. The end credits even make mention of her "dialect coach".
  • Hey, It's That Guy!: With such guest stars as Paul Reubens (Pee-wee's Playhouse) and French Stewart (3rd Rock from the Sun), the Hey, It's That Guy! factor is high.
  • Screwed by the Network: Though it was aggressively promoted in its first season, ABC had evidently lost interest by the second season premiere. After a ten-month hiatus plus half a season, all without any promotion for the show, they canceled it, citing low ratings.
    • Tragic thing is it won a posthumous Emmy (the series won seven in all, including for Kristin Chenoweth and Barry Sonnenfeld).
      • This trope also applies to how it was handled in Britain; the series was bought by ITV and unusually for an American import screened in prime-time on the flagship ITV1 channel - most American series currently bought by the channel are either relegated to off-peak slots (like In Plain Sight) or shown on their digital offshoots (like Gossip Girl) - but the channel held back one episode because it would clash with a World Cup match. For which England failed to qualify. Needless to say, fans weren't happy.
  • Short Run in Peru: The series will start and finish the second season in the UK, before the final three episodes are shown in the US.
  • What Could Have Been: The series was originally considered as a spin-off of Dead Like Me, a series also created by Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller.
    • Pushing Daisies itself exists through an interesting Dead Like Me storyline being rejected. The series, which has grim reaper George helping the nearly-deceased reach the afterlife, originally had an episode where George struggled to collect any souls because somebody was resurrecting them with a touch.
  • Word of Gay: According to the writers, whilst there are other people working at the morgue, we only see that one coroner ever because he's the only one who'll let Emerson and Ned in no questions asked, due to having a crush on Emerson.