The script for The Long Season was co-written by Yu Xiaoqian, Pan Yiran and Chen Ji. Pan and Chen also worked with Xin on The Bad Kids. In the past two years, they have both read popular stories about the northeast and watched TV works adapted from them.

Chen said the numerous comments shared by people from the northeast on short-video platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou gave him inspiration about local residents' daily lives.

Pan said Xin decided to depict a "golden view" of the northeast in The Long Season, so the original darker story written by Yu was changed into the final plotline presented to audiences.