 The show has a strong connection to the "Revenge of the Nerds"  series of movies. Bradley Whitford (qv), who plays Josh Lyman,  played Roger in  _Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987)_ (qv).  Timothy Busfield (qv), who played Danny Concannon in several  episodes, was Arnold Poindexter in the first two "Revenge..."  movies. Ted McGinley (qv), who has played anchorman Mark Gottfried  in several episodes, played Stan Gable in the first, third, and  fourth "Revenge..." movies. James Hong (qv), who played the  Chinese ambassador in an episode, played Snotty in the second movie.  John Goodman (I) (qv), who played President Glenallen Walken, was  the football coach in _Revenge of the Nerds (1984)_ (qv).