McCarthy's second published play, it was first produced by the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago on May 18, 2006, and it traveled to New York City later that same year.

The title, The Sunset Limited, is derived from the name of a passenger train that travels from New Orleans to Los Angeles.

They debate the meaning of human suffering, the existence of God, and the propriety of White's attempted suicide.

The Chicago Tribune critic, Chris Jones, notes that the play is hardly traditional theater, because dialogue rather than action drives the story, yet McCarthy's language is so rich that it makes up for the lack of incident.

[2] The play was adapted for film by the playwright for a version directed and executive-produced by Tommy Lee Jones; it premiered on HBO in February 2011.