Jim often finds himself in difficult situations, because his slacker sensibilities cause him to search for alternative ways to get things done with less effort.

The sitcom was produced by ABC's in-house production company and Newman/Stark, Suzanne Bukinik Entertainment and Brad Grey Television.

In an interview, Jim Belushi explained that the show many times directly reflected his actual life.

[8][9] The show first aired following the surprise hit comedy My Wife and Kids and quickly developed an audience of its own.

The show performed so well that the network made a risky move: putting Jim opposite the NBC juggernaut Frasier.

ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson said, "We are talking to the studio to see if there's something financially, a deal that would make sense for us.

Despite the writer's strike, ABC announced that the show would produce all 18 episodes ordered for this season.

[17] The series finale of According to Jim aired on June 2, 2009, on ABC, and was titled "Heaven Opposed to Hell."

Lionsgate Home Entertainment (under license from ABC Studios) has released the first five seasons on DVD in Region 1.

The pilot was screened to critics in the month leading up to its premiere, and received a mixed response.

In his September 9, 2001 review of the pilot, SFGate's John Carmen labelled the show a "formulaic comedy", and said the only distinguishable part of the pilot was when Jim's four year old daughter Gracie loudly proclaimed "I have a vagina" during a kitchen scene.

[18] In her September 28, 2001 review of the pilot, Laura Fries of Variety said that the show "works better when it stays within the family unit, where Belushi is key", adding that he "reps the definition of a lovable lug".

[19] On October 2, 2001, Caryn James of The New York Times called it "among the season's worst new shows", and criticized it as "[grabbing] every stereotype in its reach".

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of According to Jim on ABC.