The series' story is loosely based on the classic Chinese tale Journey to the West, with the character Bajie explicitly based on the figure Zhu Bajie from that novel.

AMC initially ordered six one-hour episodes for the first season, which premiered in late 2015, before later expanding to a 10-episode second season and a 16-episode third season.

Season 1 was filmed in Louisiana, but production then relocated to Ireland, shooting around Dublin and County Wicklow for subsequent seasons.

Executive producer Stephen Fung also served as the series' action director, working alongside veteran Hong Kong choreographer Ku Huen-chiu to design the show's martial arts sequences.

Actor Sherman Augustus revealed that there were originally plans for a fourth season that would have explored the deeper lore behind the show's post-apocalyptic setting, but these plans were scrapped when AMC ended the series after season 3.

Creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar disclosed that a spin-off series had been planned, set 20 years after the events of the original show, following Sunny's son Henry and The Widow's daughter as young adults in a town run by Nick Frost's character Bajie, who would have served as a mentor figure.

The first season received mixed reviews (54% on Rotten Tomatoes), but the show's reception significantly improved with subsequent seasons, with season 2 earning a 100% approval rating and season 3 an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.