This episode was originally titled "Mr. Monk and the Twelfth Victim," apparently referring not to a jury member but to the frozen body of what was actually the first victim. Under its new title, it was nominated for an Edgar Allen Poe Award by the Mystery Writers of America, but unfortunately it didn't win the award.
The movie theater where Arlene Bloom is killed was previously seen in Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger (2002), with the same two movies playing.
As originally written, this episode reintroduced a character from the pilot, Deputy Mayor Sheldon Burger, but was apparently rewritten with a new character, Kenny Shale (played by Jerry Levine). Possibly Rob LaBelle, who played Sheldon Burger in the pilot, was unavailable. In any case, there's little similarity between the two characters. Jerry Levine previously directed "Mr. Monk and the Sleeping Suspect (2003)."
Although USA Network billed this episode as the season finale, the second season resumed in January 2004 with seven new episodes.