This was the second attempt to adapt James Ellroy's novel L. A. Confidential and its critically acclaimed 1997 movie version into a TV show. In both cases the pilot episode was actually filmed and completed but failed to find a platform for airing. The first TV attempt was the version filmed in 1999 with Kiefer Sutherland (Det. Jack Vincennes), Josh Hopkins (Officer Bud White), David Conrad (Det. Ed Exley), Pruitt Taylor Vince (Sid Hudgens), Melissa George (Lynn Bracken), and Eric Roberts (Pierce Patchett). This pilot episode was not seen until 2003, when it was released as an "extra" on a DVD/BluRay special edition of the 1997 film.
Matt McCoy starred in the 1997 film adaptation as an actor on the Dragnet-like TV show Kevin Spacey's character was a consultant on.
Pilot for the series was produced for CBS but in June 2018 it was revealed the deal to land the show at CBS All Access hit a dead end.