The series is based on the 2010 autobiographical novel 'In with the Devil: a Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption' written by James Keene with Hillel Levin, and was developed for television by Dennis Lehane.

In 2008, Paramount Pictures and GK-Films purchased the rights to Keene's story to make a feature film, with Brad Pitt approached to play the lead role and his company Plan B set to produce.

After the feature film plan stalled, the rights were later purchased by HBO for a planned television series before finally being acquired by Apple, which announced the series in January 2021.

Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser were cast to star when the series was announced in January 2021, with Ray Liotta joining in March and Greg Kinnear and Sepideh Moafi joining the following month.

Production on the series began in New Orleans in April 2021.

The series received critical acclaim, holding a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 80 critic reviews and a score of 80 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 29 critics.

Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter noted that the series gains added poignancy as one of Ray Liotta's last screen appearances, since his character deals with failing health and mortality while visiting his incarcerated son.

Critic Mike Hale of The New York Times compared the show's hushed, expressionistic production style to David Fincher's crime stories, particularly praising the fourth episode directed by Jim McKay.