The series sees Hoshino and Wakabayashi meeting monthly at different locations for half a year, discussing worries with aid from journals of their thoughts.

The concept for the series was conceived by television producer Nobuyuki Sakuma [ja] after watching Hoshino guest star on Wakabayashi's variety show Achikochi Audrey.

After changing the filming period to half a year due to scheduling constraints, Sakuma renamed the show to Lighthouse, also attaching this name to Hoshino and Wakabayashi's duo.

Lighthouse is a talk variety show with comedy themes, hosted by musician and actor Gen Hoshino and comedian and television presenter Masayasu Wakabayashi.

In June 2021, Hoshino guest appeared on Wakabayashi's variety show Achikochi Audrey, where they discussed what QJWeb described as their "ugly" or "murky" emotions.

Hoshino's guest appearance inspired Lighthouse series director and producer Nobuyuki Sakuma [ja], who was working on Achikochi Audrey at that time, to create a show hosted by the two.

[4] He was impressed by their chemistry and thought that the duo's "synchronized" conversations resonated with the audience, which would make such a talk show a "masterpiece" with the qualities to be both binge-watchable and rewatchable.

[6][3]: 1 Inspired by stand-up performances from American comedians such as Aziz Ansari, Sakuma wanted the series to showcase the presenters evolution throughout episodes, which would give it a style similar to Japanese drama.

[9] Sakuma thought that this period (late 2022), when the coronavirus pandemic began to calm, was important for Hoshino and Wakabayashi as creators, and would thus make it easier for them to open up on the show.

[3]: 2 When filming concluded, Sakuma found the footage "outstanding", but wanted to use it carefully in editing to prevent Lighthouse from appearing like a Hoshino and Wakabayashi "fan movie".

Sakuma expected that viewers would find the talk show portions of the series plain, but did not have a problem with this due to his belief in Hoshino and Wakabayashi.

Per direction from distributor Netflix, the more "rich" and "stylish" parts of the show were designated to Hoshino's opening and endings, which Sakuma put in charge to Yūko Yasunaga [ja], noted for her work on music videos for Sakanaction.

Lighthouse primarily covers heavier topics such as diversity,[3]: 2  midlife crises,[11] stress, resentment, ego, and creative block,[5] and spans subjects such as work, family, the future, and human relationships.

The scene has been noted in analysis of the show,[4][13] and was transcribed by Oricon's news department as the completion of Lighthouse's "first chapter" in interviews with Sakuma and Hoshino.

Receiving the proposal for the show, Hoshino offered to create an ending theme for every episode, thinking it sounded fun and was a never-before-done concept.

[16][17] Around the time of seeing Hoshino's guest appearance on Achikochi Audrey, Sakuma was asked by streaming service Netflix if he was interesting in working with them on a second project, following his reality show Last One Standing.

[18] They published a trailer on August 9[19] and formally announced the series and further details the next day alongside a line-up of four other original Japanese variety and reality shows.

[23] Film journalist Louie Takeshima [ja], writing for QJWeb, particularly referred to Hoshino's role on the series as a "healer", primarily listening to Wakabayashi and leading him towards assurance.

Toda wrote that the show served as counseling for the hosts, and attributed the documentary style to the schedule of them meeting monthly, allowing them to "regularly organize and correct" their feelings.

Rating the series 2.5 out of 5 stars, Grover called it a "unique" spin on the comedy genre, away from stand-up, but felt that conversations in later episodes were too grounded in Hoshino and Wakabayashi's pre-established careers, potentially making the show difficult for unfamiliar viewers.

She thought that conversations surrounding issues discussed by the Generation Z may not stay with viewers due to "receding attention spans", but still held positive comments personally.