The series was developed at FX thanks to a 'first look' deal between director Danny Boyle and the network, with Boyle expected to executive produce and direct while Simon Beaufoy wrote the scripts.

Creator Simon Beaufoy has said his decision to portray John Paul Getty III as complicit in his own kidnapping was inspired by reading between the lines of Charles Fox's 2013 biography 'Uncommon Youth', even though no written biography explicitly reaches that conclusion.

Beaufoy revealed tentative plans for a potential second season set in the 1930s, focusing on how J. Paul Getty I became the man with 'this huge hole in his soul'.

Donald Sutherland and Hilary Swank joined the main cast in April 2017 as J. Paul Getty and Gail Getty, respectively, before Harris Dickinson was announced in May 2017 as the lead, John Paul Getty III.

Brendan Fraser's role as James Fletcher Chace was widely hailed by critics as a career comeback after a long hiatus from acting, with TV Guide dubbing it the start of a 'Brenaissance'.

Filming took place in Rome, Italy, starting in 2017.

On Rotten Tomatoes the series holds a 78% approval rating, with critics particularly praising Donald Sutherland's performance and the casting of native Italian actors for Italian roles.

Ariadne Getty, sister of the real John Paul Getty III, considered legal action against FX in March 2018, with her attorney calling the series a 'wildly sensationalized false portrayal' of the Getty family and suggesting it should have been titled 'Lies' or 'Mistrust'.

The same kidnapping story was also depicted in Ridley Scott's 2017 film 'All the Money in the World', starring Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, and Mark Wahlberg.