The series acts as a sequel to Charles Dickens' 1838 novel Oliver Twist, reimagining the character of the Artful Dodger decades later as a doctor in colonial Australia.

The show was created by James McNamara, David Maher, and David Taylor and was first announced in 2022 as a co-production between Sony Pictures Television's Curio Pictures and Beach Road Pictures.

Lead actors Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Maia Mitchell prepared for their roles by reading real-life historical medical case files from the 1850s era and consulting with medical experts.

Season one was filmed between November 2022 and March 2023 in Sydney, using a former 19th-century psychiatric hospital precinct where standing sets were built around the existing sandstone buildings.

Other filming locations for the first series included Elizabeth Farm, Rookwood Cemetery, Callan Park, and the Cape Banks headland at Botany Bay.

The first scene Maia Mitchell and Thomas Brodie-Sangster shot together was an intimate scene from the final episode; Mitchell had worried beforehand that their differing personalities meant they lacked chemistry, but realized during filming that this fear was unfounded.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 92% approval rating based on 25 critic reviews, with the consensus praising Thomas Brodie-Sangster and David Thewlis for giving the show 'roguish gravitas'.

Critics such as Dan Einav of The Financial Times singled out David Thewlis for stealing every scene, while praising Brodie-Sangster's portrayal of a man torn between his impish spirit and professional responsibility.