The Big Leap is based on the British reality miniseries Big Ballet and was created by Liz Heldens for Fox.

Fox gave the project a pilot order on January 28, 2020, making it the first pilot order for the network's planned 2020–21 television season.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the series skipped its intended 2020–21 season and only received a full series greenlight from Fox on April 28, 2021, for the 2021–22 season.

Matt Lucas and Laura Benanti were originally cast in the pilot but both later exited the project before the series was picked up.

Piper Perabo was cast in December 2020 to replace Laura Benanti in the lead role after Benanti's departure.

Production of the pilot began on December 2, 2020, but was temporarily suspended on December 18, 2020, after crew members tested positive for COVID-19.

The pilot episode was filmed in Chicago, Illinois, and at the Rialto Theatre in downtown Joliet.

Despite earning a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and generally favorable reviews on Metacritic, The Big Leap was Fox's lowest-rated series of the 2021–22 season and was canceled after one season in March 2022.