ABC green-lit the pilot on January 25, 2010, with the script written by Greg Berlanti and Jon Harmon Feldman and directed by David Semel.

Michael Chiklis was the first actor cast, joining in early February 2010 to play family patriarch Jim Powell.

In the unaired pilot, Daphne's boyfriend Lucas Fisher was played by Nathan Keyes, but he was later replaced by Chord Overstreet for the aired series.

Tate Donovan and Christina Chang left the show on June 3, 2010 after their storylines were completed, though producers left open the possibility of Donovan returning as a guest star.

Stephen Collins initially had only a small role but was promoted to a series regular in mid-June 2010.

The series premiere drew 10.69 million viewers, but ratings dropped to 8.99 million for the second episode, part of a decline that continued throughout the run.

ABC reduced the full-season order from 22 to 20 episodes on February 26, 2011, before cancelling the show entirely on May 13, 2011 after one season.

In early March 2011, lead stars Michael Chiklis and Julie Benz signed for Fall 2011 CBS pilot offers around the same time reports emerged that Disney was temporarily moving the series' sets off their lot.