Development On June 4, 2018, it was announced that
Netflix had given the production, then untitled, a series order for a first season consisting of eight episodes. Executive producers were expected to include
Dolly Parton and Sam Haskell. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of Dixie Pixie Productions, Magnolia Hill Entertainment,
Warner Bros. Television, and
Sandollar Productions. The New York Times reported that the show was inspired by the WNYC podcast
Dolly Parton's America. In November 2018, it was reported that the series had been titled ''Dolly Parton's Heartstrings'', that it would premiere in 2019, and that
Patrick Sean Smith would serve as the series' showrunner and as an additional executive producer. Additionally, it was further reported that episodes would be based upon the songs "
Jolene", "These Old Bones", and "If I Had Wings". All of the episodes were set to be written by Jim Strain with
Joe Lazarov directing "These Old Bones" and
Timothy Busfield directing "If I Had Wings". On December 19, 2018, it was announced that
Terry McDonough would direct an episode based on the song "JJ Sneed" from another script by Strain. On February 11, 2019, it was announced that the other four episodes would be based upon the songs "
Two Doors Down", "
Down from Dover", "Sugar Hill", and "Cracker Jack". "Two Doors Down" was set to be directed by
Wendey Stanzler from a script by
Mark B. Perry, "Down From Dover" to be directed by
Erica Dunton from a script by
John Sacret Young, "Sugar Hill" to be directed by
Lev L. Spiro from a script by
Thomas Ian Griffith and
Mary Page Keller, and "Cracker Jack" to be directed by
Liesl Tommy from a script by Lisa Melamed.
Casting Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that
Dolly Parton would appear in the series.
Filming Principal photography for the series commenced in September 2018 in
Georgia. Filming occurred in locations that month such as
Cartersville,
Stone Mountain,
Kennesaw, and at Third Rail Studios in
Doraville. In October 2018, filming took place in such locations as
Milton,
Canton, the Orange United Methodist Church in Lathemtown, and Emory Hospital in
Smyrna. In November 2018, shooting moved to locales including
Norcross,
Gainesville,
Cumming. In December 2018, the production was working out of
Snellville,
Loganville, and downtown Canton. In January 2019, shooting was held in various areas like the Tucker Recreation Center in
Tucker, Georgia and
Marietta Square in
Marietta, Georgia. ==Episodes==