Whitney Cummings created two network sitcoms that both premiered during the 2011-12 US TV season: NBC's Whitney, in which she stars, and CBS's 2 Broke Girls, which she co-created with Michael Patrick King but does not appear in.

Beverly D'Angelo originally played Whitney's mother, Patti, in the pilot episode, but was replaced by Jane Kaczmarek, requiring parts of the pilot to be reshot.

According to the New York Post, Whitney Cummings was paid $60,000 per episode for the first three episodes, with a planned salary increase after the show was ordered for a full season due to good ratings.

After harsh critical reception directed largely at Cummings herself, producers shifted the show's direction for season two toward a more ensemble-based format similar to Friends, in part to reduce pressure on Cummings, who was dealing with personal struggles including her mother's stroke and her sister entering rehab.

Wil Calhoun replaced Betsy Thomas as showrunner for the second season.

Maulik Pancholy, who played Neal in season one, did not return for season two as the show refocused on the relationship between the two leads rather than the ensemble cast.

Tone Bell, winner of NBC's Stand Up For Diversity competition, joined the cast in season two as a new character named RJ.

The New Yorker's Emily Nussbaum described Whitney Cummings as 2011's 'sexy-girl hate magnet,' noting the disproportionate attention she received for being both successful and attractive; in one notable instance, a New York Times journalist asked her in an interview if she had slept her way to success.