Many reviewers praised the story of the "red reality", but did not enjoy the arcs of the "green reality". This episode marked the first time Rex had not of appear in an episode of the series, the show's two therapists: Dr. Jonathan Lee (BD Wong) and Dr. Judith Evans (Cherry Jones) also did not appear in it. Even though it was the eighth episode, it was supposed to be the fifth episode. The music featured in it was "Pain in My Heart" by Otis Redding. Michael is seen shirtless in two scenes of the episode, one of those scenes was filmed at an actual campus swimming pool. During filming, a woman saw Isaacs naked, and questioned it. Many critics commented on the themes of "Nightswimming". It was filmed in Los Angeles, California, and eight guest actors were in it.