"The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" was written by David X. Cohen and directed by Steven Dean Moore. The episode was conceived as a commentary on what it was like to work on a television show that had long been on the air, but was considered to be nearing its end. This was intended to show that "The Simpsons" could still be good after eight seasons, even though it no longer had the "shock value" it did in the early years. Before production of season eight began, several executives at Fox suggested the staff add a new character to the show, who would live with the Simpsons on a permanent basis, in a bid to freshen up the series. The writers found the suggestion, usually considered a sign of desperation to boost a flagging series, amusing, therefore much of the episode revolves around this trope. Parallel to the episode's main plot, where Poochie is introduced on "The Itchy & Scratchy Show" to boost its ratings, the writers inserted the one-time character Roy, a college-aged man who is shown to be living with the Simpsons, with no explanation as to his character or presence, as a reference to the executives' proposal. Roy was originally conceived for the "Time and Punishment" segment of the season six episode "Treehouse of Horror V", living with the Simpsons in one of the alternate realities, as a second, teenage son in the family.