Series writer-creator Little Marvin was delighted to learn that the master of horror Stephen King had said of the show, "The first episode scared the hell out of me, and I'm hard to scare. Bonus: If you've never seen a bunch of extremely creepy white ladies in '50s dresses, here's your chance."
On Gracie's first day of school, she wears a blue jumper that bears a striking resemblance to the outfit Ruby Bridges wore, on her first day at an integrated school. Likewise, her older sister Ruby faces similar pushback to what Bridges went through.
The show takes a series of studies on generational trauma through its supernatural elements; a closer look at Miss Vera, Doris and the Jim Crow ghoul dissect the effects of the Willie Lynch letter on other generations.
This is the second role of Shahadi Wright Joseph in a story about a black family terrorized, and with a pronoun for a title. Her first such role was as the teen daughter in Us (2019), another thriller by a black writer. Both "Us" and "Them" also feature the song "Les Fleurs" by Minnie Riperton.
Despite being about racism in America, the majority of the main actors are English, Canadian and Australian.