>one of the writers mentions that they would insert superfluous details into the script (i.e names of people and places) so that they could tie future story developments back to earlier episodes and seasons, making it seem to the viewer like the entirety of the show had been worked out from the start, and that the writers had been dropping hints along the way.

I always wondered if writers do that stuff. Even with novels, I wonder if they go back and add details in or plan from them way back at the start.