The series is based on J. Robert Lennon's 2008 short story 'The Rememberer' and was created by Ed Redlich and John Bellucci.

Actress Marilu Henner, who has hyperthymesia in real life just like the show's lead character, served as a consultant on the series.

Marilu Henner also made a guest appearance in the episode 'Golden Bird', playing Carrie Wells' aunt, a character suffering from symptoms similar to Carrie's mother's early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

The show was canceled by CBS after its first season in May 2012, but the network reversed its decision weeks later and renewed it for a second season, though TNT and Lifetime had briefly shown interest in picking it up.

After CBS canceled Unforgettable a second time in October 2014, A&E picked it up for a fourth season, which premiered in November 2015, before A&E itself canceled the series in February 2016, leaving the final episode on an unresolved cliffhanger.

Unforgettable was nominated for a People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama in 2011.

The first season received mixed reviews, holding a 40% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 59/100 on Metacritic, with critics calling it 'yet another lukewarm procedural'.