The series was developed by Wendy Molyneux, Lizzie Molyneux, and Minty Lewis, with Bob's Burgers producer Loren Bouchard also serving as an executive producer, and was first announced as in development on September 28, 2018.

Fox gave the series an official series order on May 9, 2019, with Bento Box Entertainment handling the animation, the same studio behind Bob's Burgers, giving the show a similar visual style.

The show was renewed for a second season on June 22, 2020, even before its first season had premiered.

When the series was first announced in September 2018, the presented cast included Megan Mullally, though she ended up voicing the recurring character Alyson rather than a main role.

On June 22, 2020, it was announced that singer Alanis Morissette would voice a fictionalized version of herself, appearing as Judy's imaginary friend who manifests in the Aurora Borealis.

The recurring character Alyson Lefebvrere was voiced by Megan Mullally for most of the series' run, but Anne Yatco took over the role for two episodes in the fifth season.

Alanis Morissette's character occasionally exists independently of Judy's imagination, an intentional nod to Morissette's role as God in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse films Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

The show's first season holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 15 reviews, and multiple critics, including Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter and Margaret Lyons of The New York Times, described it as a spiritual successor or near-spin-off of Bob's Burgers.

Ben Travers of IndieWire noted that The Great North was, at the time, the only animated Fox comedy to feature a Black family member among its main cast.

The series was ultimately canceled in October 2025 after five seasons specifically to make room for the return of American Dad! to Fox's schedule.