[14] In September, Jon Watts was set to direct the pilot and be an executive producer, with John Lithgow and Amy Brenneman added to the cast.

[17] In November, Bob Iger announced that the show would air on FX on Hulu, and Austin Stowell was added to play a younger version of Chase.

[20] Stowell would be recast in March 2020 with Bill Heck, and Gbenga Akinnagbe, Leem Lubany, and E. J. Bonilla cast in main roles.

[23] Production resumed in late 2020 with three episodes remaining to film,[23] but was soon halted when Bridges was diagnosed with lymphoma in October 2020 and departed for cancer treatment.

[26] The series was scored by T Bone Burnett[27] and Patrick Warren, with incidental music included Elvis Costello, Charlie Parker, Robert Plant, and others.

The website's critics consensus reads, "The Old Man is just as intrepid and spiky—and derivative—as younger action heroes, with Jeff Bridges lending invaluable gravitas to this bone-crunching thriller.

The website's critics consensus states, "Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow remain a compulsively watchable pair, but there's a nagging sense that The Old Man has lost a step in this overextended sophomore season.