The series is inspired by Carl Hiaasen's 1987 novel Double Whammy, adapted for television by Robert Doherty.

Hiaasen himself served as an executive producer on the show alongside creator Robert Doherty, Carl Beverly, Sarah Timberman, and Paul McGuigan.

The role of Emilia 'Emi' Ochoa was originally cast with Weruche Opia in July 2025, but she was replaced by Jaina Lee Ortiz in November 2025.

Paul McGuigan, one of the executive producers, also directed the pilot episode.

The pilot was filmed in the summer of 2025 in Wilmington, North Carolina and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while the rest of the first season was shot in Wilmington from November 2025 through April 2026, with additional filming in Fort Fisher and Carolina Beach, North Carolina.

New episodes were made available on Hulu the day after their ABC broadcast.

The premiere drew 3.69 million Live+Same Day viewers and became ABC's most-watched 10:00 p.m. drama debut in more than five years, since Big Sky premiered in November 2020.

Within six days of release, the premiere had amassed 11.64 million multi-platform viewers across ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+, and other platforms, ranking No. 1 on daily streaming charts on both Hulu and Disney+.