Jessee, along with LDS Historian Leonard J. Arrington, wanted to collect and publish all the known works of Joseph Smith, so they could be more easily accessed by scholars and the public.

A large amount of funding for the project was donated by Larry H. and Gail Miller the owners of KJZZ-TV, the station which would later air the television series.

The project was then moved from BYU to the LDS Church Archives in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The pilot would differ from the remaining episodes of the series because of changes to the production team and broadcast format.

Following the completion of each season, the episodes were rebroadcast on BYU-TV (to receive exposure outside the Salt Lake City market).