According to Tim Reid, Walter Cronkite, who was a member of the board of directors at CBS, told him that the series was cancelled because of the final episode. In "The King of Wall Street", a Wall Street tycoon condemns junk bonds. Laurence Tisch, the CEO of CBS, was offended by this episode because he had bought the network with junk bonds. He demanded that the series be cancelled despite the objections of Cronkite and other board members.
CBS ordered thirteen scripts for the second season. An episode was planned with guest star Sammy Davis Jr.. CBS released a statement saying that they would find a timeslot for the series. But the series was cancelled three days before shooting was to start.
Tim Reid and Hugh Wilson spent time in New Orleans for research. Many of things they encountered there were incorporated into the series. Chez Louisiane was based on a New Orleans restaurant named Chez Helene. The character, Big Arthur, was based on Chez Helene's owner, Austin Leslie. Other examples included the coffin with a phone and the slogan "Jesus Called" and being frightened by a mortician's cold hands.
The original concept was conceived by CBS executive Gregg Maday. Maday was inspired by a Buffalo, New York restaurant he frequented as a young man named Dan Montgomery's. He combined memories of that restaurant with the then-current interest in Cajun-style cooking and zydeco music. Maday had originally met with Tim Reid and Hugh Wilson to work on a remake of I Spy (1965) but pitched them his idea instead.