Future Man was created by Howard Overman, Kyle Hunter and Ariel Shaffir, and premiered on Hulu on November 14, 2017.

The series was greenlit by Hulu on September 9, 2016, after the streamer reviewed a previously produced pilot, with an initial order of thirteen episodes.

The pilot episode was written by Ariel Shaffir and Kyle Hunter from a story co-developed with Howard Overman, and was directed by executive producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.

Josh Hutcherson was cast in the lead role on February 17, 2016, followed within weeks by Eliza Coupe, then Glenne Headly and Ed Begley Jr. as his parents, and Derek Wilson in a main role by May 2016.

Seth Rogen, who also executive produced the show, later took on an on-screen role himself, playing Susan Saint Jackalope starting as a guest in season 2 before becoming a main cast member in season 3.

Actress Glenne Headly, who played Josh's mother Diane, died on June 8, 2017 after filming only five of the planned thirteen episodes for the first season.

Following Glenne Headly's death, producers decided not to recast her character and instead aired the episodes she had already filmed, requiring writers to rework the storylines originally planned for her character.

Season 1 holds an 82% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 39 reviews, while season 2 improved to a 100% approval rating based on 9 reviews.

Future Man was removed from all Disney streaming services, including Hulu and Disney+, in May 2023 as part of Disney's budget cuts.

In 2018, the series was nominated for Best New Media Superhero Series at the 44th Saturn Awards.