Drake Bell and Josh Peck had previously acted together on "The Amanda Show", created by Dan Schneider. Bell and Peck had differing personalities, which inspired Schneider to create a new show starring them as characters with traits similar to their own. An unaired pilot episode featured Stephen Furst as Walter Nichols, although he was busy with another project when "Drake & Josh" was picked up as a series, and Jonathan Goldstein was cast in the role instead. A house in Los Angeles' Encino neighborhood was used for exterior shots of the family's home, while interior scenes were shot on a sound stage at the Nickelodeon on Sunset studios in Hollywood. As of January 2005, Tribune Studios in Hollywood was also used as a filming location.