The character of Landon Smartikoff is a thinly veiled satire of Brandon Tartikoff (1949-97), the television executive who rebooted the poorly performing NBC in the early 1980s and made the network a ratings leader.
The original title of this episode was "Max Sledgeroom" since it features a parody of another ABC series, Max Headroom (1987). But ABC objected and the title was changed. David Rasche reportedly was considered to play Max Headroom in The Max Headroom Show (1985).
The characters talking about a fourth network were alluding to FOX, which was just starting out. Many in the business at that time thought the idea of starting a fourth television network to go against ABC, NBC, and CBS would never work.
This episode is titled 'A Clockwork Hammer'. In the 1962 Anthony Burgess novel 'A Clockwork Orange' a state prison uses aversive conditioning and horrific imagery to render a hyper-violent gang leader incapable of any future act of violence. Even contemplating violence caused the conditioned subject great mental anguish.
This episode parodies the Stanley Kubrick film "A Clockwork Orange" . Aubrey Morris appeared in this film, as well as the episode "Big Nazi on Campus".