The series adapts The Devil's Star, the fifth novel in Jo Nesbø's Harry Hole series, with Nesbø himself writing the screenplay and serving as showrunner.

The show was revealed by Netflix as part of its 'Next on Nordic presentation' in Stockholm in March 2024, showcasing the company's upcoming Scandinavian productions.

Director Øystein Karlsen reunited with Jo Nesbø after previously collaborating on So Long, Marianne, signing on as director and executive producer before Anna Zackrisson joined the directing team in August 2024.

The three lead actors, Tobias Santelmann, Joel Kinnaman and Pia Tjelta, were unveiled at a press event held at Restaurant Schrøder in Oslo, a location that is prominently featured in the Harry Hole novels.

Principal photography began on May 23, 2024 in Oslo and continued through December 2024, spanning 113 shooting days across more than 160 locations, making it the largest production shoot in Oslo's history.

The series' score was composed by Australian musicians Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

This production marked Working Title Films' first non-English language television series for Netflix.

On Rotten Tomatoes the first season holds a 91% approval rating based on 22 critic reviews, while Metacritic gave it a score of 67 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating 'generally favorable reviews'.