The show's title alludes to the novella The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon, which series creator Jim Gavin cited as an inspiration for the series.

AMC gave the series a straight-to-series order of 10 episodes on October 5, 2016, meaning it was greenlit for a full season without a pilot.

Paul Giamatti appears in the first season in an uncredited voice-only role as writer and audiobook narrator L. Marvin Metz before later appearing on screen.

Bruce Campbell and Cheech Marin both had recurring roles, playing general contractor Gary 'Captain' Green and Lodge 55 member El Confidente respectively.

Despite receiving highly positive reviews, including an 89% approval rating for season one and a 100% approval rating for season two on Rotten Tomatoes, AMC canceled the series after its second season due to low ratings.

Series creator Jim Gavin announced in December 2019 that producers had tried unsuccessfully to shop the show to other networks or streaming platforms after its cancellation.

Entertainment Weekly critic Darren Franich gave the season two finale an 'A' grade, calling it 'perfect' and singling out a moment featuring Brent Jennings as his favorite television moment of 2019.

In 2021, Vogue writer Jannelle Okwodu wrote a glowing review of the series after discovering it on Hulu, describing it as 'a fantastic puzzle of a series'.