[1] Palm had worked for years as a newspaper reporter on The Hartford Times and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner before moving into screenwriting with jobs on Miami Vice.

[1] In 1999, Wolf pitched the show to NBC with Oliver Platt as its star and sold it with a three-minute trailer, instead of producing a pilot, as is the norm.

[2] Wolf and Palm worked with NBC Entertainment President Garth Ancier on developing the show with Platt in mind.

Platt had been approached numerous times to do a television show but it was Wolf's reputation and the chance to work in his hometown and be close to his family that persuaded him.

"[5] USA Today criticized the show's authenticity in their review: "The only thing accurate about Deadline is the sense of urgency implied by the title.

[8] NBC showed the remaining episodes during the spring of 2001, in at least one part of the United States; they followed the network's broadcasts of Saturday night XFL football games in the western time zones.