Freeform gave Single Drunk Female a pilot order on September 25, 2019, before ordering a full first season of ten episodes on February 26, 2021.

The series was created by Simone Finch, who wrote the pilot, while executive producer Leslye Headland directed it; Jenni Konner and Phil Traill also served as executive producers, with 20th Television involved in production.

Sofia Black-D'Elia and Ally Sheedy were cast as the leads at the time of the pilot order, while Rebecca Henderson, Sasha Compère, Lily Mae Harrington and Garrick Bernard joined the main cast once the full series was ordered.

For the second season, Busy Philipps and Ricky Velez were added in recurring roles, and Molly Ringwald appeared as a special guest star playing Carol's sister-in-law and Samantha's aunt.

The first season holds a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 25 critic reviews and a Metacritic score of 76/100, indicating generally favorable reviews.

The second season improved on the first, achieving a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 6 critics and a Metacritic score of 81/100, indicating universal acclaim.

In 2021, the series won the IMDbPro Top 200 Scripted TV Recipients for ReFrame Stamp award.

Despite the strong critical reception, Freeform cancelled Single Drunk Female after two seasons in June 2023, and the show was removed from Hulu on July 1, 2023.