The idea for the series arose in 2017 when the producers wanted to create a thriller in which a main character would be autistic; screenwriter Alexandre de Seguins met Jean-Sébastien Bouilloux, who worked for producer Jean-Luc Azoulay, and the pilot was accepted by France 2 as a replacement for the series Caïn.

Following the pilot's strong ratings of about 4.2-5 million viewers (around 19.5-20.7% market share), France 2 greenlit a full first season, initially planned as six episodes before being extended to eight.

The 'Documentation Criminelle' building where Astrid works is actually the Departmental Archives of Val-de-Marne, recognizable in drone shots used in the series.

The special crossover episode with Alexandra Ehle was filmed in Bordeaux and its surroundings, while season 7 filming is set to take place partly in Tokyo, Japan.

One of the show's three co-writers has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, and autistic actor Hugo Horiot plays a non-autistic character in season 1, episode 7, later reappearing in seasons 2 and 4.

Writer Alexandre de Seguins deliberately wanted the character of Astrid to be as far as possible from the cliché of the 'genius autistic' figure, drawing inspiration instead from the writings of Temple Grandin and from conversations with Josef Schovanec and about a dozen autistic people who read and commented on the episode scripts.

Belgian magazine Moustique noted a strong resemblance between Astrid and Shaun Murphy from the American series The Good Doctor, both overcoming isolation from their atypical neurology through their jobs while facing others' incomprehension.

The series inspired a British remake titled Patience, announced in February 2024 with Matt Baker as lead writer, starring Laura Fraser and autistic actress Ella Maisy Purvis, which aired on Channel 4 in January 2025.