Besides copying the "Simpsons" credits, the "Itchy & Scratchy" credits also parody the sequence seen at the end of the credits of many TV shows produced by Stephen J. Cannell, where Cannell sits at the typewriter in his office and throws a sheet of paper into the air, with it forming of part of his production company's logo. In the episode, Itchy and Scratchy are seen at a desk; Scratchy pulls a sheet from his typewriter and throws it into the air, where it forms an "I & S Productions" logo. Mike Reiss later met Cannell, who was so pleased with the homage that he hugged Reiss. The title of the episode is a reference to "The Front", a 1976 film about writers fronting for blacklisted writers in the 1950s. The "Simpsons" writers considered trying to make the episode plot resemble that of the film, but in the end decided against it.