The series is based on a 2014 Rolling Stone article by Amanda Chicago Lewis about the theft of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's sex tape, with showrunners arguing that most of the basic plot beats came directly from that article.

The project was first announced in 2018 with James Franco attached to both direct and play Tommy Lee, but by December 2020 Franco had left the series before Hulu greenlit it as an eight-episode limited series.

When Hulu ordered the series in December 2020, Sebastian Stan was cast to replace James Franco in the role of Tommy Lee, alongside Lily James as Pamela Anderson.

In January 2022, it was revealed that Jason Mantzoukas would voice Tommy Lee's penis as a guest role in one episode.

Filming took place in Los Angeles from April 5 to July 30, 2021.

Lily James underwent an extensive make-up process wearing a prosthetic forehead and chest, dentures, blue contact lenses, and a blonde wig to resemble Pamela Anderson.

Sebastian Stan spent hours having up to 30 tattoos painted on him and wore dyed hair, brown contact lenses, a prosthetic penis, and pierced nipples to transform into Tommy Lee.

The show's wardrobe was not custom-made but consisted of second-hand clothing purchased to match what Anderson and Lee actually wore between 1995 and 1998.

In her 2023 Netflix documentary Pamela, a Love Story, Pamela Anderson revealed she was never consulted about the production and criticized the producers, though she said she held no ill feelings toward Lily James, whom she invited to the documentary's premiere.