Nash's iconic 1971 Plymouth Barracuda convertible was originally supposed to be painted 'Curious Yellow' but was switched to factory Caterpillar Yellow because of how it appeared under the show's lighting and cameras. The car itself was portrayed by several replicas of a 1971 Hemi 'Cuda convertible.

The series was filmed on location in the San Francisco Bay Area, shooting on the streets of San Francisco including The Embarcadero and Piers 30 through 32, with neighboring Treasure Island serving as the show's headquarters, including a permanent set for Nash's apartment in Hangar 2.

Production of the show was costly, running nearly $2 million per episode, which became a key factor in its eventual cancellation.

Don Johnson is the only cast member to appear in all 122 episodes of the series.

The show used three different main theme songs over its run: an instrumental piece by Elia Cmíral in season 1, 'I Got a Friend in You' (written by Eddie Jobson, sung by Gigi MacKenzie) for seasons 2–5, and a new instrumental techno-tinged theme by Velton Ray Bunch for season 6. A second Cmíral composition, which was actually Don Johnson's original preferred choice, sometimes replaces the season 1 theme in syndication.

Despite getting fair Nielsen ratings, the show was cancelled after losing its Friday night ratings battle against NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, combined with Paramount Network Television deeming the $2 million per-episode cost too high; CBS wanted a seventh season but Paramount refused to fund it even though Viacom owned both companies at the time.

Creator Carlton Cuse later became showrunner for Lost, and Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof began his television writing career on Nash Bridges, later seeking Cuse's advice on how to run Lost.

Don Johnson also wanting to leave the show was another major factor in the series' ending, alongside the network having enough episodes banked to move Nash Bridges into syndication.

A television revival film was developed with USA Network and Village Roadshow Entertainment Group (which controlled the original Rysher Entertainment intellectual property), envisioned as a two-hour special that could serve as a backdoor pilot for a full revival series.