The Bold and the Beautiful was created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell as a sister show to their other soap opera The Young and the Restless, and was originally titled Rags as a reference to the garment industry.

CBS developed the show in 1986 to replace the soap opera Capitol; a competing pitch called Celebration by Claire Labine was also considered but never made it to air.

John McCook (Eric Forrester) and Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Logan) are the only two cast members who have remained on the show continuously since its 1987 premiere, and were originally part of a 'core four' alongside Susan Flannery and Ronn Moss.

When Susan Flannery announced her departure from the show in 2012, the decision was made to have her character Stephanie Forrester die of cancer rather than simply be recast.

The show has been shot at Stage 31 at Television City in Los Angeles for its entire run, until production relocated to Sunset Las Palmas Studios in Hollywood in August 2025 following a renovation plan and the end of its lease at Television City.

In June 2020, The Bold and the Beautiful became the first scripted American series to resume production after Hollywood's three-month coronavirus shutdown, following strict health and safety protocols.

The theme song 'High Upon This Love' was written by David Kurtz and Jack Allocco and features a prominent saxophone sample played by Eric Marienthal; a vocal version performed by Dionne Warwick was used during the end credits from November 1998 to July 1999.

Actor Robert Clary played Pierre Roulland on The Young and the Restless from 1973 to 1974 before later playing a different character, Pierre Jourdan, on The Bold and the Beautiful from 1990 to 1992.

The Bold and the Beautiful became the most-watched soap opera in the world, with an estimated audience of 26.2 million viewers, and has won 77 Daytime Emmy Awards including three consecutive wins for Outstanding Drama Series in 2009, 2010, and 2011.