The miniseries is based on Larry McMurtry's 1985 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which itself originated from an unproduced screenplay McMurtry co-wrote with Peter Bogdanovich.

Most Hollywood studios initially passed on the novel's rights, which were eventually bought by Motown Productions, headed by Suzanne de Passe, with Robert Halmi Inc. serving as deficit financier.

Four actors—Charles Bronson, Robert Duvall, James Garner, and Jon Voight—were offered the role of Woodrow Call before it ultimately went to Tommy Lee Jones; Garner had to drop out due to ill health, while Duvall declined because he felt he had already played that type of character and instead asked to play Gus.

Charles Bronson agreed to play the villain Blue Duck, but his contract with Cannon Films required him to make a movie for them instead, so he had to drop out.

Robert Duvall had director approval on the project and, being a fan of some of Simon Wincer's earlier films, personally approved him as director.

The miniseries was partly shot at Alamo Village, the movie set originally built for John Wayne's 1960 film The Alamo, with the bulk of filming taking place at Moody Ranch near Del Rio, Texas, over a 90-day shoot.

Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall performed their own stunts throughout filming, with the exception of one scene requiring Duvall to ride in the middle of a bison herd.

Basil Poledouris composed the score, marking his first Western and the first of five collaborations with director Simon Wincer, who went on to have Poledouris score his next four theatrical films.

The first episode drew an estimated 44 million viewers and topped the Nielsen ratings for its week, outperforming both The Karen Carpenter Story and the first episode of the massive miniseries War and Remembrance that same season.

Although filmed in the full-frame 1.37:1 aspect ratio, the miniseries was framed to allow for both fullscreen and widescreen presentation, and director Simon Wincer said it was screened for critics in widescreen in a movie theater before its television premiere.