The series is a double adaptation: based on James Cameron's 1994 film True Lies, which was itself based on the 1991 French film La Totale! by Claude Zidi, Simon Michaël, and Didier Kaminka.

A True Lies TV series was first attempted as early as September 2010, with James Cameron developing and executive producing alongside Rae Sanchini through Lightstorm Entertainment and 20th Television, with Dark Angel producer René Echevarria as showrunner.

In 2017, Fox planned a pilot with Marc Guggenheim as screenwriter and McG attached as executive producer and possible director, and in May 2019 McG announced the series would instead air on Disney+.

The project was revived a second time in February 2021 when CBS ordered a pilot written by Matt Nix, with McG originally set to direct before being replaced by Anthony Hemingway in May 2022.

Tom Arnold, who starred in the original 1994 film, returned for a guest role in the TV series, reprising his connection to the franchise.

Charlie Nix, who plays teen hacker Max, shares a surname with series creator Matt Nix.

The series was canceled by CBS after just one season in May 2023, following weak ratings described as a ratings bomb.

True Lies received mixed-to-negative reviews, holding a 42% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 49/100 on Metacritic, with critics arguing it lacked the personality of the original film.