Damages was canceled after season 3 had aired in early 2010 by FX Networks, due to the low ratings and high costs of each episode. In July of the same year, Sony Pictures Television reached an agreement with DirecTV to save the series and produce two new seasons.
Actors on the show have little time to prepare as they are given their scripts a few hours before filming. Glenn Close herself has described this style of filming as "challenging, but a great exercise."
Every episode title is a line of dialogue spoken by a character in the episode.
The show's creators were hesitant to hire Anastasia Griffith for the role of Katie Connor because they were concerned about a Brit playing an American, especially since Australian actress Rose Byrne had already signed on. "To put their fears at rest", Griffith addressed the producers in an American accent from beginning to end of the audition. After being cast, Griffith and Byrne visited New York University dialect coach Deborah Hecht to perfect their accents.