The role of Hillary was originally played by Gianna LePera in the pilot episode, but she was replaced by Bailee Madison once the series went into full production.

Despite receiving largely positive reviews from critics, ABC canceled Trophy Wife after just one season, with the finale airing May 13, 2014.

Albert Tsai received a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Bert.

The show earned a Metacritic weighted average score of 63% based on 28 critics, indicating 'generally favorable reviews', and Business Insider named it the tenth best new TV show of 2013.

Executive producer Lee Eisenberg explained that the title 'Trophy Wife' was meant to be ironic, since the show actually focuses on how Malin Åkerman's character Kate is not like a stereotypical trophy wife.

When Malin Åkerman read the script, she loved the writing and the character, particularly how 'not trophy wife' Kate turned out to be, which drew her to the role.

Several critics, including Willa Paskin of Salon and Joanne Ostrow of The Denver Post, felt the show's title was misleading and did a disservice to its focus on nuanced female relationships and characters.