The series was picked up by Fox on May 8, 2015, and Fox later expanded the order twice, first adding six extra scripts in October 2015 before committing to a full 22-episode first season later that same month.

Despite being canceled after just one season, the show was acclaimed by critics and viewers even though it never achieved high ratings, leading Fox to cancel it on May 16, 2016.

The show's premise is a meta commentary on acting: Rob Lowe plays Dean Sanderson Jr., an actor who believes his years playing a TV lawyer on a fictional show qualify him to practice real law at his family's firm.

Rob Lowe's real-life son John Owen Lowe was cast in the recurring role of Joel Zadack, the boyfriend of Dean's niece Lizzie.

Timothy Olyphant appeared as a fictionalized version of himself, playing Dean's TV-actor nemesis who takes over the starring role in the in-show fictional series The Grinder: New Orleans.

On Rotten Tomatoes the season holds an approval rating of 93% based on 57 reviews, and critics increasingly praised the show as the first season progressed, frequently comparing it to cult favorites like Arrested Development, Community, and Better Off Ted.

Real-life comedy duo Kenny Lucas and Keith Lucas (The Lucas Brothers) were cast as recurring twin characters Cory and Rory Manler, former clients who sue the Sanderson firm for malpractice.