The series is based on Paul Schrader's 1980 film American Gigolo, which starred Richard Gere, and was first announced as being in development for television on October 29, 2014.

Jerry Bruckheimer, a producer on the original 1980 film, was initially set to executive produce the TV adaptation, with Paramount Television Studios as the production company.

The project went through multiple incarnations over the years, including a 2016 version with writer Neil LaBute attached, before finally being ordered to pilot in March 2020 with David Hollander (Ray Donovan) writing and directing.

Principal photography began on July 12, 2021, in Los Angeles.

On April 23, 2022, showrunner David Hollander left the project following an on-set misconduct investigation, which forced production to shut down for four days due to his dismissal and an actor's unavailability.

Production was shut down again for at least two weeks in May 2022 after writer David Bar Katz exited the series.

M. Emmet Walsh appeared as Coleman in a guest role, which turned out to be his final television appearance.

The series was canceled by Showtime after just one season, announced on January 30, 2023, and received mixed reviews, holding a 35% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with critics calling it 'more dud than stud.'