The show's fictional fundamentalist group, the "United Effort Brotherhood", is similar to, and was largely inspired by, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, whose financial and legal wing is called the "United Effort Plan". The FLDS is one of the most well-known groups of polygamists claiming to be successors of the original LDS church.
Scenes at the Home Plus stores were shot at All American Home Center in Downey, California.
In an interview before the final season, Chloe Sevigny talked about how her character having less sex each season and how she was tired of being the only main female character who gets naked onscreen. "The first season, my character was aggressive in bed, but that changed by the second and third seasons, and there was no sex on season four. I don't know why, and I was confused by that. This season, aside from stuff with the teen characters, sex is still on the back burner. And although I have done nudity on the show, the other girls won't do topless. I don't want to be the show's Samantha, like on Sex and the City; the only woman who'll do nudity. So I refused to do any more and there was a lot of back-and-forth about it."
Amanda Seyfried said in an interview she was watching the show with her parents and freaked out when her sex scene came up. "'I was sitting there watching and all of a sudden, it cut to a scene where two people are having sex, and it's me! Having sex! I just thought, 'No, no, no!' It was so much more graphic than I remembered. I was horrified."
Chloe Sevigny became good friends with Bill Paxton, noting that they stayed in touch even after the series ended, which was rare in their line of work. Sevigny said she along with the cast and crew called him the show's cheerleader, given his commitment and how he'd rally everybody.