Sneaky Pete was created by David Shore and Bryan Cranston, with CBS giving the show a production commitment in November 2014.

A formal pilot for the series was shot in New York in March 2015 before being considered by CBS.

CBS decided to pass on the pilot on May 8, 2015, the same day it also canceled David Shore's other network series, Battle Creek.

Just two days after CBS passed on the pilot, reports emerged that it might move to cable networks, with multiple networks expressing interest before Amazon ultimately picked it up.

Amazon negotiated to acquire the pilot with some tweaking and possible minor reshoots, releasing it on August 7, 2015, and ordering a full series on September 2, 2015.

In March 2016, creator David Shore left the project and was replaced by Graham Yost as executive producer and showrunner, which pushed back production of the remaining season.

The show's title theme, "Harder Out Here," was composed and performed by The Bright Light Social Hour at the specific request of co-creator Bryan Cranston.

The first season earned a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 31 critics, and Margo Martindale received a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 23rd Critics' Choice Awards in 2017.