Inspired by the success of Star Wars, Universal developed Buck Rogers for television under Glen A. Larson, who had a production deal with the studio; production began in 1978.

The pilot movie was originally meant to air as a TV pilot, but Universal instead released it theatrically in March 1979, where it earned $21 million at the North American box office, prompting NBC to commission a weekly series.

The production recycled many props, effects shots, and costumes from Glen A. Larson's other series Battlestar Galactica, which was still in production at the same time; for example, the 'landram' vehicle and the starfighter control sticks were reused from Galactica.

The Terran starfighters in the pilot movie were actually concept designer Ralph McQuarrie's original vision for the Colonial Vipers from Battlestar Galactica.

Juanin Clay, who later played Major Marla Landers in the episode 'Vegas in Space', was originally cast as Wilma for the TV series before Erin Gray, who had initially opted not to return after the pilot film, changed her mind and reclaimed the role.

Producers demanded that Wilma have blonde hair, requiring dye jobs to lighten Erin Gray's naturally brunette hair; she was allowed to return to her natural dark hair color by the end of season one.

Buster Crabbe, who had played Buck Rogers in the original 1930s film serial, made a guest appearance as Brigadier Gordon, a reference to his other famous role as Flash Gordon.

Twiki the robot was played mainly by Felix Silla and voiced mainly by Mel Blanc, the same actor who voiced Daffy Duck as 'Duck Dodgers' in spoofs of early Buck Rogers serials; Blanc gave Twiki a gruff voice similar to the one he used for Barnyard Dawg.

During Mel Blanc's illness in the second season, Bob Elyea replaced him as the voice of Twiki for the first five episodes before Blanc returned for the final six, with no in-story explanation given for the voice change.

Production of the second season was delayed by several months due to the 1980 actors' strike.

Star Gil Gerard frequently clashed with producers and NBC over the show's tone, often refusing to perform comedic lines he disliked and rewriting scripts to emphasize his own character, including vetoing a planned scene where Wilma rescues Buck in 'Escape From Wedded Bliss'.

Tensions with Gil Gerard led writers Anne Collins and Alan Brennert to quit the show midway through the first season after a meeting with him went badly, and the network reportedly threatened Gerard with legal action if he continued to hinder production.

The show used stock shots of remaining Expo 67 pavilions (particularly the French and British pavilions) and the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles to portray futuristic Earth buildings.

The opening title sequence included stock footage from the real Apollo 4 and Apollo 6 rocket launches.

In the second season, the character Admiral Efram Asimov was written as a descendant of real-life science-fiction author Isaac Asimov.

The second season's concept of the spaceship Searcher hunting for lost tribes of humanity echoed a theme from Glen A. Larson's earlier series Battlestar Galactica, while the season's tone and characters (like the stoic alien Hawk) drew comparisons to Star Trek, with Buck likened to Captain Kirk and Hawk to Mr. Spock.

John Javna's book The Best of Science Fiction TV listed Buck Rogers in the 25th Century among its 'Worst Science Fiction Shows of All Time,' alongside The Starlost, Space: 1999, and Manimal.

When it aired on ITV in the UK starting August 1980, Buck Rogers beat the BBC's Doctor Who in the ratings for 16 straight weeks, prompting the BBC to shift Doctor Who's time slot in response, though the move failed to change the outcome.