Creator Nick Antosca developed the miniseries after reading the memoir Stolen Innocence: The Jan Broberg Story (2003) and watching the 2017 documentary Abducted in Plain Sight, feeling the latter's 90-minute runtime was too short to do justice to the intricate story.

Jan Broberg had turned down several previous offers to adapt her story into a film or miniseries because she felt the pitches were 'too slick' and lacked understanding of her family's experience, until Antosca's more empathetic approach convinced her.

Jan Broberg and her mother Mary Ann Broberg served as producers on the series, and Jan was frequently invited into the writers' room to give detailed suggestions and input.

Jake Lacy was initially apprehensive about playing predator Robert Berchtold, but Jan Broberg's involvement and commitment to the project persuaded him to take the role.

To prepare for playing Berchtold, Jake Lacy read Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita and drew inspiration from the ego and charm of Ocean's Eleven's Danny Ocean and actor Steve McQueen.

Antosca gave Jake Lacy personal items belonging to Jan and Mary Ann Broberg, including actual FBI recordings of phone calls between the Brobergs and Berchtold after Jan's second kidnapping.

Colin Hanks almost turned down the role of Bob Broberg, not wanting to play what he initially saw as 'a super nice Mormon that goes through a bunch of stuff,' but decided during the pandemic to challenge himself with roles that scared him.

Jan Broberg herself makes a cameo appearance in the final episode as Dr. Carr, a therapist who worked with her family, which she described as a freeing experience that let her console her onscreen father figure.

Production designer John D. Kretschmer drew inspiration from his own Protestant childhood home in North Carolina to recreate the Broberg family's neighborhood, and the crew renovated a real house in Atlanta to match the actual Broberg home's windows and floor plan.

While filming the scene in which Berchtold drugs young Jan, the crew took special care to ensure that Hendrix Yancey, who was only 11 years old at the time, felt safe throughout the shoot.

On Rotten Tomatoes, A Friend of the Family holds a 92% approval rating based on 24 reviews, with critics praising Eliza Hittman's direction and Jake Lacy's unsettling portrayal of Berchtold.

Peacock followed the miniseries with a companion documentary, A Friend of the Family: True Evil, released on November 15, 2022, which follows Jan Broberg revisiting locations from her abuse and explores generational trauma through interviews with her family.