Christina Ricci created the series after reading Therese Anne Fowler's novel. However, series writers Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin ultimately declined to use most of Fowler's novel and instead took a wide latitude when adapting the source material. Consequently, the series popularized a number of myths about the Fitzgeralds' romance and Zelda's early life in Alabama.
The series creators took a great deal of fictional license when depicting the lives of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald as well as the raucous Jazz Age. Many of the songs heard were either written or performed a decade later in the 1930s. Many actresses wear brassieres at a time when few women did so. A number of key relationship details between Zelda and Scott are misrepresented for dramatic purposes.
Although purportedly based on Therese Anne Fowler's novel "Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald", the series features very little dialogue and scenes from the book. According to executive producer Dawn Prestwich, the show's writers jettisoned all of Fowler's work and instead created a heavily fictionalized portrait of Zelda Fitzgerald. Much of the events and dialogue in episodes never occurred.
The series was criticized for the ages of the lead actors in comparison to their historical counterparts. A 36-year-old David Hoflin portrayed 21-year-old F. Scott Fitzgerald. For her role as 18-year-old Zelda Fitzgerald, 35-year-old Christina Ricci's features had to be digitally altered to make her appear like a teenager. Critics noted that Ricci was the same age as Zelda when she appeared in Sleepy Hollow (1999), nearly two decades earlier.
On April 27, 2017, Amazon ordered a second season. Later that same year, Amazon canceled the TV show after one season. In 2020, Christina Ricci revealed the show was canceled when one of its executives was accused of sexual harassment, prompting Amazon to cancel all his projects.