The "Riedel" whom Julia calls a "Napoleonic little Nazi" and other characters complain about as well is a real person--Michael Riedel, the influential and feared theater columnist for The New York Post, who is well-known for his acerbic-to-scathing reporting on some shows. His writing has occasionally led to conflicts with the theater world off the page as well; one infamous example was when his negative opinion of the 2004 revival of "Fiddler on the Roof" led to the director of that production, David Leveaux, punching Riedel in front of a crowd at the theater district restaurant Angus McIndoe. The real Riedel signed a legal release before the first episode of "Smash" aired allowing the show to call him a "Napoleonic little Nazi."