The series is loosely based on the life of Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist at Duke University, and his 2008 non-fiction book Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions.

The main character Alec Mercer's physical scars and life-changing injury mirror Dan Ariely's own real-life experience of being injured in an explosion, which sparked his interest in the psychology of pain and human behavior.

Dan Ariely himself served as a consultant on the writing of the series.

In season 2, Dan Ariely appeared on screen himself, playing a psychiatric patient.

NBC gave the show a put pilot commitment in November 2021, and after a well-received pilot, commissioned a mini-writers' room in September 2022 to produce backup scripts before finally ordering the series in December 2022.

The pilot was filmed in Vancouver, Canada, from late May to early June 2022, standing in for Washington, D.C. and the surrounding Virginia area.

Production on the first season halted after seven episodes had been filmed due to the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

NBC ordered an extra episode partway through season one, bringing the total order to 11 episodes, and renewed the show for a second season before the first season had even finished airing.