The Tower is based on Kate London's Metropolitan book series; London herself served as a Metropolitan Police officer from 2006 to 2014, rising to a murder squad detective, before becoming a full-time author.

Several different scenarists were considered before Patrick Harbinson, previously a co-producer on the Showtime series Homeland, was chosen as both writer and executive producer.

Kate London was initially nervous about ITV's proposal to adapt Post Mortem for television, having already experienced two previous unsuccessful attempts to turn her book into a script.

Lead actress Gemma Whelan, best known for playing Yara Greyjoy in Game of Thrones, took on her first primetime lead role as Sarah Collins in The Tower.

The Tower marked the first television roles for cast members Lola Elsokari and Rex Parry.

Although the story is set in southeast London, the series was mostly filmed in northwest England, including Liverpool, Manchester, Runcorn, Warrington and Knutsford's Tatton Park, with only a week spent filming pick-up shots in London during post-production.

The COVID-19 pandemic prevented director Patrick Harbinson from conducting the usual thorough location scouting in person, forcing him to rely on photos of potential filming sites sent to him via Dropbox from around the country.

Actress Tahirah Sharif recalled that filming emotional, heavy dialogue scenes in Liverpool was especially challenging due to persistent rain.

The disused cellars of the Martins Bank Building in Liverpool were used as a stand-in for the police cellblock seen in the series.

Critics repeatedly compared The Tower to the police corruption drama Line of Duty, though some, like Anita Singh of The Telegraph, argued the show had a stronger sense of everyday realism rather than being merely derivative.

Several reviewers, including Carol Midgley of The Times and Anita Singh of The Telegraph, criticised the sound engineering for muffled, mumbled dialogue that was difficult to hear.

Although Kate London's original novel predated the 2021 murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens, the show's broadcast timing led several critics to draw direct comparisons to that real-life case.

In November 2024, ITV confirmed it would not renew The Tower for a further series, citing viewing figures for the latest series that did not meet expectations.