Loosely based on series creator Kevin Williamson's youth in North Carolina. In 1983 during Williamson's transition from high school to college, his father who was a fisherman, was arrested for using his own boat to participate in an elaborate drug smuggling operation. He was later convicted of conspiracy to traffic marijuana in excess of 20,000 pounds. Williamson said that his father did what he felt he needed to support his family, because the fishing business in North Carolina at that time was about to go "belly up".
Melissa Benoist (Bree) said that like her character, she was the outcast off-screen for the first month because she did not have scenes with everybody. However once they all started shooting together, they became like real family. The main cast would go to the beach together and dine at the same restaurants every night, Benoist commented that it was like a "summer camp vibe".
Inspired by true events.
Set in North Carolina, filming took place between September - December 2024 in the towns of Wilmington and Southport.
Melissa Benoist (Bree) prepared to play someone who is in recovery from addiction, by reading "The Recovering Intoxication and Its Aftermath" (2018) by Leslie Jamison. Benoist has also seen addiction up close in her real family.