The series was originally commissioned by UPN, but that network dropped the show before it was picked up by USA Network.

The show is credited as being 'based on characters' from Stephen King's 1979 novel The Dead Zone, rather than a direct adaptation of the book's plot.

The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for its first five seasons before production moved to Montreal for the sixth and final season.

The Dead Zone was cancelled in December 2007 on a major cliffhanger without ever getting a proper series finale, despite expectations it would be renewed for a seventh season.

After USA Network cancelled the show, there were rumors that Syfy might pick it up, but this never happened.

The character name Walt Bannerman combines the names of two characters from the original novel: Sheriff George Bannerman and Walt Hazlett, the man Sarah married.

The song 'Sleep Walk' by Santo & Johnny, heard in the pilot episode, also previously appeared in the Stephen King film adaptation Sleepwalkers.

The show's theme song changed partway through its run: seasons 1–3 used Jeff Buckley's 'New Year's Prayer,' while season 4 onward used 'Dead Zone Epic' by Blues Saraceno.

The series premiere drew 6.4 million viewers, setting a record for the highest-rated premiere on USA Network at the time, a record later broken by The 4400's premiere with 7.4 million viewers.