Amazon gave the series a two-season order on July 28, 2018, with Little Marvin writing the script for the first season and Lena Waithe executive producing under their overall deals with Amazon Studios.

The series follows a limited semi-anthological structure similar to American Horror Story, with each season telling a different story with different characters.

Lena Waithe said Little Marvin's script stayed with her for weeks after reading it, describing it as provocative and terrifying, and noted the first season would speak to how frightening it was to be black in 1953 while paralleling the horrors of being black in 2018.

Deborah Ayorinde and Ashley Thomas were cast in the lead roles on July 27, 2019, with additional main cast members like Shahadi Wright Joseph, Alison Pill, Ryan Kwanten, Melody Hurd, Javier Botet, and Percy Hynes White joining in October 2019.

Lisa Banes, who played Esther Haber, died on June 14, 2021, and this role was her final television role.

For the second season, Deborah Ayorinde returned in a new lead role, joined by new main cast members Pam Grier, Luke James, Joshua J. Williams, and Jeremy Bobb.

Production began on July 8, 2019, with filming taking place between Atlanta and Los Angeles.

The set for the 1950s neighborhood in the first season was specially built on a lot in Pomona, California.

Some critics called the first season 'black trauma porn,' particularly criticizing a graphic scene in which a black couple is blinded with hot pokers and burned alive.

While the first season received mixed reviews (58% on Rotten Tomatoes), the second season was much more positively received, earning a 100% fresh rating from critics who praised its improved story and social commentary.