15 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘Spin City’

7. Michael J. Fox Inspired the Show’s Creation

In the 1995 film The American President, Michael J. Fox delivers a winning turn as one of the President’s more policy-minded aides. Bill Lawrence and Gary David Goldberg loved the character and wanted to see Fox do something similar on television.

8. The Pilot Was Conceived and Written in Four Days

Fox, Goldberg, and Lawrence sat down and sketched out a loose idea of the characters surrounding a character they termed, “Alex Keaton with power” before Keaton let the writers get to work. All in all, it took just four days to get everything finished.

9. Michael J. Fox Left the Show in the Fourth Season

Though he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1991, Michael J. Fox was able to carry on starring in the sitcom for four seasons. After season four, however, he left the series to concentrate on spending time with his family and battling the affliction.