"Debasement Tapes" features a guest appearance by Paul Rudd. A friend of series creator Rob Thomas and Enbom, they had hoped that Rudd would guest star on the show since its inception in 2004. Announced four months prior to the episode's airing, his appearance was highly anticipated by Thomas, who had high hopes for the pairing of Rudd and Enbom. In its original broadcast, the episode received 1.85 million viewers and mostly positive reviews from television critics, with Rudd's performance and the various subplots being generally well-received, although some disliked the main mystery.