The show is based on the Lynn Belvedere character created by Gwen Davenport in her 1947 novel Belvedere, which had already been adapted into the 1948 film Sitting Pretty starring Clifton Webb, who earned an Academy Award nomination and reprised the role in two sequels.

Before the 1985 series, three earlier attempts to adapt the Belvedere character for television failed: in 1956 with Reginald Gardiner, in 1959 with Hans Conried, and in 1965 with Victor Buono.

Although the show was set in a suburb of Pittsburgh, creators Frank Dungan and Jeff Stein had never actually visited the city and based their story ideas on a promotional calendar of Pittsburgh scenes provided by the Pittsburgh Media Group.

According to the producers, the choice of Pittsburgh over Paris as the setting was partly because 'Paris doesn't have the Penguins,' and they wanted a blue-collar city with seasons and sporting culture; Cleveland was also considered but rejected as 'too jokey.'

No scenes from the pilot or the six first-season episodes were actually filmed on location in Pittsburgh, though producers promised location shooting if the show was renewed for a second season.

The theme song 'According to Our New Arrival,' performed by ragtime singer Leon Redbone, was originally composed in 1984 for a rejected pilot called Help and was reused for Mr. Belvedere with only a minor lyric change from 'arrivals' to 'arrival.'

The show used four different closing theme arrangements over its run, including a rock version with guitar lead in the unaired pilot, an instrumental version in Seasons 1-2, a Dixieland rendition in Season 3, and a jazzier version for Seasons 4-6.

ABC canceled the series after its third season in 1987, but negative fan feedback led the network to reverse its decision and order a fourth season, which debuted in October 1987.

After being placed on hiatus in December 1989 and canceled again in February 1990, ABC aired the show's two-part series finale in July 1990, an unusual occurrence for an already-canceled program.

Bob Uecker, who played sportscaster George Owens, was simultaneously the real-life longtime play-by-play radio announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers while starring in the series.