Fremantle acquired the rights to Richard Flanagan's novel Narrow Road to the Deep North in March 2018 to adapt it into a television series.

Justin Kurzel was announced as director in November 2019, with Shaun Grant serving as writer; Fremantle later exited the project and was replaced by Curio Pictures as producer.

Jacob Elordi joined the cast in November 2022, followed a year later by Odessa Young, Ciarán Hinds, Olivia DeJonge, Heather Mitchell, Thomas Weatherall, Show Kasamatsu, Charles An, and Simon Baker in November 2023.

Principal photography began in November 2023 and continued through to March 2024.

The series premiered at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival before being released on Amazon Prime Video on 18 April 2025, timed to coincide with the Easter holidays.

The series received critical acclaim, holding a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 37 critic reviews and a Metacritic score of 83 indicating 'universal acclaim'.

The show won nine awards at the 15th AACTA Awards and received six nominations at the Logie Awards of 2026, including acting nods for Simon Baker, Jacob Elordi, Heather Mitchell, Thomas Weatherall, and Odessa Young.

Jacob Elordi's performance earned him nominations for the Golden Globe Award and the Satellite Award, winning the latter.