The series was introduced via a backdoor pilot episode titled "Beyond Borders" that aired during the tenth season of Criminal Minds on April 8, 2015, before the spin-off officially premiered.

Originally scheduled to premiere on March 2, 2016, the show's premiere was pushed back two weeks to March 16, 2016, airing right after the original Criminal Minds on Wednesday nights.

Anna Gunn was originally cast in a lead role as Lily Lambert alongside Gary Sinise, but she departed the series before it aired and was replaced by Alana de la Garza, whose character was renamed Clara Seger.

Annie Funke was cast as a series regular (playing medical examiner Mae Jarvis) after Anna Gunn's departure prompted a reshuffling of the cast.

The first season received generally unfavorable reviews, holding a 20% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 28/100 on Metacritic.

Critics such as The A.V. Club, Slate, and USA Today criticized the show as "bland," "xenophobic," and "jingoistic," drawing comparisons to Donald Trump's contemporaneous 2016 presidential campaign rhetoric.

The episode "Cinderella and the Dragon," set in Singapore, sparked significant local backlash over its portrayal of Singapore and Singaporeans, prompting satirical responses from blogger mrbrown and the Singapore Tourism Board.

Despite the backdoor pilot debuting in April 2015 and the series being picked up for the 2015–16 season in May 2015, CBS ultimately canceled the show after just two seasons on May 14, 2017.