The series is a sequel to the 1976 film of the same name starring David Bowie, itself based on Walter Tevis's 1963 novel.

The television adaptation was originally in development at Hulu for over a year before moving to CBS All Access in August 2019, after disagreements over co-production stemming from Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox could not be resolved.

Bill Nighy was cast in January 2022 to play Thomas Jerome Newton, the character originally portrayed by David Bowie in the 1976 film.

Chiwetel Ejiofor was cast in February 2021 as the lead alien character Faraday, with Naomie Harris, Jimmi Simpson and Clarke Peters joining the following month when the series moved to Showtime.

Each episode of the series is named after a David Bowie song, tying the show back to the actor who starred in the original film.

Filming began on May 3, 2021, in London, with a major part of the production taking place at the University of Hertfordshire.

The series was cancelled after just one season, with Showtime announcing in October 2022 that it would not be renewed.

On Rotten Tomatoes the series holds an 86% approval rating based on 30 critic reviews, while Metacritic gave it a score of 68 out of 100 based on 16 critics.