ðə sˈɪɹiz wʌz kɹiːˈeɪɾᵻd ænd pɹədˈuːst baɪ kˈɑːɹl ɹˌiːɪnˈɜː, ʃˈɛldən lˈɛnɚd, bˈɪl pˈɜːski, ænd sˈæm dᵻnˈɑːf, ˈɔːl ʌv hˈuːm wɜː kɹiːˈeɪɾɪvli ɹᵻspˈɑːnsᵻbəl fɚðə kɹˈɪɾɪkli ɐklˈeɪmd ænd kəmˈɜːʃəli səksˈɛsfəl ðə dˈɪk vˈæn dˈaɪk ʃˈoʊ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti wˈʌn sˈɪksti sˈɪks ænd wʌz ɪnspˈaɪɚd baɪ pˈɜːski ænd dᵻnˈɑːfs pˈɜːsənəl ɛkspˈiəɹɪənsᵻz wˈɜːkɪŋ æz kɑːntɪnjˈuːᵻɾi ɹˈaɪɾɚz fɔːɹ sˈɛvɹəl dˈɪsk dʒˈɑːkiz ˌɔn ɹˈeɪdɪˌoʊ stˈeɪʃən dˈʌbəljˌuːnˈuː ɪn nˈuː jˈɔːɹk dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti z.
The series was created and produced by Carl Reiner, Sheldon Leonard, Bill Persky, and Sam Denoff, all of whom were creatively responsible for the critically acclaimed and commercially successful The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–66) and was inspired by Persky and Denoff's personal experiences working as continuity writers for several disc jockeys on radio station WNEW in New York during the 1950s.