 The character was named in tribute to Arnold's two favorite comedians, Jackie Gleason and Danny Thomas.From the beginning, "The Jackie Thomas Show" was intended to be an ensemble production, as Arnold "didn't feel [he] was ready" to support a show on his own.The cast included recurring "Roseanne" guest star Martin Mull as a network executive, Dennis Boutsikaris, Michael Boatman, Paul Feig and Maryedith Burrell as writers and Alison LaPlaca as an office assistant.