The series is set in a Washington D.C. college among rich students. It follows two manipulative step siblings who are ready to do anything to maintain their status. Plan for a television adaptation of the 1999 film started in 1999 at Fox with a prequel series that was later retooled as the 2000 direct-to-video film Cruel Intentions 2. NBC picked up a television pilot for a continuation of the film's storyline with Sarah Michelle Gellar returning but later passed on the project. It was given a series order in April 2023 and moved to Prime Video several months later.