The series is based on Simon Stålenhag's 2014 narrative art book of the same name, and draws inspiration from the fact that Stålenhag never fully explains what the science fiction objects in his paintings do or where they come from.

Showrunner Nathaniel Halpern drew inspiration from Sherwood Anderson's short story cycle Winesburg, Ohio, particularly its themes of loneliness, isolation, and focus on small-town characters.

Executive producer and pilot director Mark Romanek drew inspiration from Krzysztof Kieślowski's ten-part series Dekalog, while other cited influences on the production include Ingmar Bergman, Yasujirō Ozu, and Andrei Tarkovsky.

Cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, in his attempt to 'crack the code' of Stålenhag's visual style, chose to shoot night scenes during dusk instead of at actual night.

The visual effects team, led by visual effects producer Andrea Knoll, worked to preserve the 'painterly feeling' of Stålenhag's artwork, which earned the show an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role.

The show features actors playing younger and older versions of the same characters, such as Abby Ryder Fortson and Emjay Anthony portraying young versions of Rebecca Hall's Loretta and Paul Schneider's George, respectively, while Shane Carruth plays the adult version of Duncan Joiner's character Cole.

Despite each episode of the anthology-like series having a different director, critic Steve Toase of Fortean Times noted that the series still emerges as a coherent whole, with main characters from one episode appearing as background characters in others and events having consequences across episodes.