The series is loosely inspired by the real story of Isaac Wright Jr., who was wrongly imprisoned and helped overturn the wrongful convictions of twenty fellow inmates before proving his own innocence; unlike his TV counterpart, he obtained his law degree only after being exonerated.

Isaac Wright Jr. himself served as one of the executive producers on the show, alongside creator Hank Steinberg and rapper Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson.

50 Cent, who executive produced the series through his G-Unit Film & Television company, also appeared on screen in a recurring role as dangerous inmate Cassius Dawkins.

The project went through development at ABC starting in October 2018 under an unnamed title, receiving an official pilot order in February 2019 before being greenlit to series and renamed 'For Life' in May 2019.

Filming of the second season in New York City had to be suspended for two weeks in September 2020 due to delays in COVID-19 testing before production resumed later that month.

Despite being cancelled by ABC after two seasons in May 2021, the show was licensed by IMDb TV, which was floated as a possible new home for a third season before ultimately passing on it in August 2021.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series held an 86% approval rating, with critics praising Nicholas Pinnock's performance as central to the show's ability to avoid typical legal-procedural pitfalls.