Vicious was created by Mark Ravenhill and Gary Janetti, and premiered on ITV on 29 April 2013 before also airing in the United States on PBS.

Ian McKellen's character Freddie originates from Wigan, matching McKellen's own real-life hometown.

Derek Jacobi's character Stuart originates from Leytonstone, mirroring Jacobi's real-life origins.

Younger versions of the lead couple were played by other actors in a flashback: Samuel Barnett portrayed Young Stuart and Luke Treadaway portrayed Young Freddie.

The hour-long series finale special was recorded before a live audience at The London Studios on 23 December 2015, following a rehearsal the previous day.

On 14 May 2016, Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi appeared in character as Freddie and Stuart during the Eurovision Song Contest broadcast, shown watching and reacting to the contest.

Rotten Tomatoes gave the series an 80% 'Fresh' rating based on ten reviews, though critics were sharply divided, with some praising its nostalgic charm and others, like Benjamin Secher of The Telegraph, calling it 'the least funny new comedy in recent memory' and awarding it just 1 out of 5 stars.

The series received two GLAAD Media Award nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series, and its finale was nominated for Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series.

The 2013 Christmas special has never been released on DVD in the UK, though it was included in the season 1 DVD releases in Australia and the US.