The series was created and written by Hans Rosenfeldt, based on an idea developed together with Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein, and the script has been sold to around 190 countries.

The show was structured as a quadrilogy across four seasons, with each season built around a unifying theme: betrayal in season 1, confirmation in season 2, responsibility in season 3, and identity in the final season.

Kim Bodnia, who played Martin Rohde in seasons 1 and 2, did not return for season 3 because he was unhappy with how his character was being developed, which forced the writers to rework the script and introduce a new Danish partner for Saga, Henrik Sabroe, played by Thure Lindhardt.

Hans Rosenfeldt also mentioned in an interview that concerns about working in Malmö due to the city's problems with antisemitism made Kim Bodnia's decision to leave the series easier.

The opening title credits subtly reflected the show's evolving partnership format: Sofia Helin was credited alone in season 3's first episode before Thure Lindhardt was added, and the number of lines separating the Swedish and Danish titles increased each season (one line for season 1, two for season 2, three for season 3).

Filming for the second season began in October 2012, while filming for the final fourth season started in November 2016, more than a year before its 2018 premiere.

The show's opening and closing theme is a version of the song 'Hollow Talk' by the Copenhagen-based Danish chamber pop band Choir of Young Believers.

The Bridge won the Prix Europa for Best TV Series in 2012, two Golden Nymph Awards in 2014 (Best European Drama Series and Best Actor for Kim Bodnia), and multiple Danish Robert Awards, and was nominated for a BAFTA for Best International Series, losing to the American show Girls.

By November 2013 the first season had been sold to 134 countries, and by February 2014 The Daily Telegraph reported it was airing in 174 countries; by October 2017 it ranked 126th on IMDb's list of highest-rated TV series with at least 5,000 ratings.

The series inspired numerous international remakes, including the US-Mexico version 'The Bridge' set on the Bridge of the Americas between El Paso and Juárez, the UK-France version 'The Tunnel' set in the Channel Tunnel, a Russia-Estonia version 'Мост' set between Narva and Ivangorod, a Malaysia-Singapore version, and a Germany-Austria version 'Der Pass' set on a mountain pass between the two countries.