[2][3] Described as "a genre-bending contemporary take on the private detective story set in Los Angeles,"[4] it follows John Sugar, a private investigator recruited by a wealthy movie producer to investigate the disappearance of his granddaughter.

It was announced in December 2021 that Apple TV+ had won a bidding war for the rights to the series, which had Colin Farrell attached to star.

[10][11][12] In September, Nate Corddry, Sydney Chandler, Miguel Sandoval, Elizabeth Anweis and Jason Butler Harner were added to the cast.

The website's critics consensus reads, "A modern noir steeped in the classic tradition, Sugar could use stronger clues to go along with its ample style, but Colin Farrell's cool performance keeps things compelling.

"[6] On Metacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".