ABC began developing an FBI-centered spin-off of The Rookie in February 2022, aiming to expand its franchises after losing Black-ish and to compete with NBC's Chicago and Law & Order franchises as well as CBS's FBI and NCIS franchises.

The series' premise and characters were first introduced through a two-episode backdoor pilot within the parent show The Rookie before being ordered to series on May 13, 2022 under the title The Rookie: Feds.

The show was created by Alexi Hawley (creator of The Rookie) together with Terence Paul Winter, with both executive producing alongside Michelle Chapman, Bill Norcross, Corey Miller, star Niecy Nash, and The Rookie star Nathan Fillion.

Kat Foster was originally cast in March 2022 as Casey Fox, a five-year FBI veteran, but it was reported that once the series was ordered, Foster and her character would not progress past the backdoor pilot.

Nathan Fillion and Alyssa Diaz appeared in the series premiere reprising their The Rookie characters John Nolan and Angela Lopez, helping bridge the two shows.

Despite being canceled after just one season in November 2023 (partly due to the 2023 Hollywood double strike), actors Felix Solis, Britt Robertson, and Kevin Zegers reprised their Feds roles in Seasons 6 and 7 of The Rookie, with Solis returning again in Season 8.

ABC scheduled the series on Tuesdays at 10:00 p.m. ET following Bachelor in Paradise rather than pairing it directly with The Rookie, with ABC's president stating crossovers between the two shows would still be possible despite the different timeslots.

On Rotten Tomatoes, The Rookie: Feds held an 86% approval rating with an average score of 7.7/10, based on 7 critic reviews.