David Simon and Eric Overmyer first became friends as writers on Homicide: Life on the Street and later collaborated again on The Wire before developing Treme, which HBO put into development in 2008 shortly after The Wire ended.

Overmyer lived part-time in New Orleans, and Simon believed his experience would be valuable in navigating the city's 'ornate oral tradition' of stories while developing the series.

Simon consulted with New Orleans musicians Donald Harrison Jr., Kermit Ruffins, and Davis Rogan, local chef Susan Spicer, and civil-rights attorney Mary Howell while developing the show.

The character Delmond Lambreaux, played by Rob Brown, is based on jazz musician Donald Harrison Jr., whom Simon and Overmyer brought in as a consultant for the series.

John Goodman's character Creighton Bernette was drawn from the real-life New Orleans blogger Ashley Morris.

Steve Zahn's character Davis McAlary is based on series consultant Davis Rogan and shares his first name.

Chris Coy's character L.P. Everett, a reporter investigating Katrina-era crimes, is based on real-life journalist A. C. Thompson.

New Orleans native Phyllis Montana LeBlanc was cast as Antoine's girlfriend after being recommended by director Spike Lee, who had worked with her on the HBO Hurricane Katrina documentary When the Levees Broke.

Although HBO commissioned the pilot in 2008 and hoped to begin filming that year, principal photography on location in New Orleans did not actually start until March 9, 2009.

Award-winning Polish director Agnieszka Holland, who had directed three episodes of The Wire, was hired to direct the Treme pilot.

Co-executive producer and writer David Mills, a longtime collaborator of David Simon since their days at the University of Maryland's student newspaper, died suddenly in New Orleans on March 30, 2010, just 12 days before the show's premiere.

For the fourth-season opening credits, actor Clarke Peters personally provided the hand-brushed finishing touches on the final title card, which appears newly painted on a white plastered wall.

David Simon acknowledged including a deliberate anachronism in the first episode by showing a Hubig's pie, even though such pies were not actually available in New Orleans at that point in the timeline.

The opening credits are set to John Boutte's 'The Treme Song' and were designed by producer Karen L. Thorson, who had also created the opening credit sequences for The Wire; the imagery evolves each season, showing mold growing over the title card before it is eventually replastered and repainted.

The Times-Picayune published a recurring weekly feature called 'Treme Explained' to help readers decode the show's many location-specific New Orleans references.