The show was created by Sam Baum and Dustin Thomason, who also serve as executive producers, and is a John Wells Production in association with Warner Bros. Television.

In writing of the secondary and guest stars for the pilot deWolf Smith said, "Even the people who make relatively brief appearances leave you wanting to know more about them.

"[9] Gloria Goodale of The Christian Science Monitor found the "hook" of the show to solve the crime along with the cops doesn't really work.

"[10] Tom Shales of The Washington Post said that there can be vexing decisions about what to watch, citing the then-current top-rated Sunday shows The Sopranos and Desperate Housewives.

Shales said that there was no indecision to be found as The Evidence is a "high-stakes heart-pounder" compared to the "lowbrow nap-maker" show Heist, which premiered at the same time.

Among the first things she mentions is that with the show being set in San Francisco there are no Asian or gay characters, not even in the background of crowd shots of the first episode.

"You'd better give the audience some kind of complicated anti-hero character study that is at least as good as what CBS is doing and maybe, quite possibly, dares to approach the level of basic cable.