The character was portrayed by actor and producer Eugene Levy, who created the series with his son, Dan Levy, for the series entire 80-episode run. His performance as Johnny has been widely praised, earning him four consecutive Canadian Screen Award nominations and one win in 2016 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role. In 2019, Levy received his first Primetime Emmy nomination for the role for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He was also nominated in 2020, this time winning the award.