While the first unit was filming the scene in which the agents are walking down the New York streets, the second unit was shooting Quake's fight scene in the alley. Chloe Bennet had to run back and forth between the two units as she was in every shot of both scenes.
The title is a reference to FDR's famous United States reformation also called The New Deal. Coulson himself makes a "dad joke" about it during the episode.
According to Coulson the safe-house password "Swordfish" was a secret until revealed in the Marx Brothers film, Horse Feathers (1932). "Swordfish" is spoken 12 times in Horse Feathers (1932).
The episode introduces a new "old-style noir" title card with a cursive, angled font, reflecting the 1930s setting of the episode. It also includes "Marvel Presents" above the logo, and the copyright boilerplate with Roman numerals below it, resembling older film titles.