The series is based on Jason Mott's 2013 novel The Returned and was co-produced by ABC Studios and Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment.

Before settling on its final name, the series was ordered to pilot status by ABC in January 2013 and was briefly titled Forever when ABC released its list of potential pilot pick-ups in March 2013, before being renamed again after being ordered to series in May 2013.

Charles McDougall was brought on as director in March 2013 as part of a two-year deal he signed with ABC Studios.

ABC cancelled Resurrection in May 2015 after two seasons due to low ratings, following a big ratings drop between its first and second seasons; it was cited as one of ABC's biggest cancellations alongside Cristela and Forever.

On Rotten Tomatoes, season one holds a 50% approval rating while season two improved to 57%, and the show scored 59/100 on Metacritic based on 30 critics.

In Australia, the series premiere on Seven Network was the highest-rating series debut in two years, drawing 1.9 million mainland capital city viewers and surpassing the previous record set by Revenge's 2012 premiere.

The Australian season two premiere, moved to a new 10:30 p.m. Sunday slot, drew only 112,000 viewers, the lowest rating of the series' run.

The first season DVD release included special features such as 'On Location in Georgia' and 'Resurrection: Building a Mystery,' along with bloopers and deleted scenes.