The show was originally ordered straight-to-series under the working title 'Copper' by Canwest in February 2009, with a 13-episode order.

Executive producer Tassie Cameron conceived the show around the primal feeling of being a fraud as a rookie, imagining that sensation combined with carrying a gun.

Missy Peregrym, cast as Andy McNally, was the first role cast for the series, followed shortly after by Gregory Smith as Dov Epstein.

Filming for the first season began in Toronto, Ontario, on July 14, 2009, and was expected to run through November 2009, producing thirteen episodes.

The fifth season was originally planned as a single 22-episode season but was split into two, with the second batch of 11 episodes later re-branded as season six.

On June 21, 2010, The Accessible Channel announced Rookie Blue would be the first series to premiere with a simultaneous Described Video broadcast for viewers with vision impairments.

The Canadian premiere drew 1.9 million viewers, making it the highest-rated premiere for a Canwest-commissioned drama series in the previous five years.

In the United States, the premiere drew 7.253 million viewers, becoming the most successful scripted summer debut for ABC in nearly six years.