The TV series is loosely based on William Gibson's 2014 novel of the same name, and was first announced in April 2018 by Westworld creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan with a script-to-series commitment from Amazon.

In April 2019, Joy and Nolan signed a first-look overall deal worth around $20 million a year at Amazon Studios, and the project received a full series order in November 2019 under this deal.

Scott Smith originally created the series and served as showrunner, but he was replaced as showrunner by Greg Plageman on March 30, 2021, while remaining the show's creator.

The first season had a budget of around $175 million.

Chloë Grace Moretz was cast in the lead role of Flynne Fisher in October 2020, with Gary Carr joining the main cast at the same time; Jack Reynor joined in March 2021, followed by Eli Goree, Charlotte Riley, JJ Feild, Adelind Horan, T'Nia Miller, and Alex Hernandez in April 2021.

Principal photography began on May 3, 2021, in London, England, before filming moved to Marshall, North Carolina on September 24, 2021, with production wrapping on November 5, 2021.

Vincenzo Natali, also an executive producer, directed the show's pilot episode.

Amazon canceled the series in August 2023, scrapping the already-renewed second season due to the extended duration of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes.

The first season ended on a cliffhanger, with Lisa Joy expressing hope to have multiple future seasons to explore the novel further, a wish left unfulfilled after the cancellation.