The plot was loosely based on the 1955 novel "House Party" by Patrick Dennis (the pen name of Edward Everett Tanner III). Beyond the basic premise and a handful of characters, the series bore little resemblance to the novel.
According to Television magazine, this show finished 77th among the 91 shows rated during the 1966-1967 season. It began the season airing on Tuesdays, opposite The Red Skelton Hour on CBS, which finished second in the ratings.
Phylis Diller said once she felt the series was an inverted version of The Beverly Hillbillies.
The show was created by executive producer David Levy, who also served in the same capacity on the ABC television series The Addams Family from 1964 to 1966. When ABC canceled that show in the spring of 1966, a few Addams Family alumni were recruited for the Diller series. Vic Mizzy, who composed the finger-snapping theme song to The Addams Family, composed the musical theme for Diller's show as well.
On January 13, 1967, "The Pruitts of Southampton" changed its title to "The Phyllis Diller Show." John Astin joined the cast the same month, and the show began airing on Fridays.