Upper West Side Story the next morning. The poem was ultimately included in a scene in which Neal is teaching an English class. Kenny Herzog of "The A.V. Club" pointed out that the episode contained various references to Shakespearian and Victorian-era literature, specifically mentioning "Romeo and Juliet". He stated that these metaphors helped move the plot forward. The initial broadcast of the episode drew 3.472 million viewers, and earned a 1.1 rating in the 18–49 demographic. "Upper West Side Story" ranked seventh place among cable series for the night in the 18–49 demographic and fourth in its timeslot, surpassed by "Teen Mom 2", "Storage
Upper West Side Story committee about Neal's involvement with the Keller case. Although Neal's actions had caused the kidnapping of Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen), Peter opts to omit the details surrounding Neal's theft of the art. The episode was written by Alexandra McNally and Jim Campolongo. It was McNally's fifth episode since joining the series during the second season, and Campolongo's sixth overall. It was their first time to collaborate on an episode. "Upper West Side Story" was directed by Russell Lee Fine, his third directing credit for the series after the episodes "Payback" and "On Guard". Working titles for the episode included "Well Endowed"