The pilot episode was greenlit in August 2015 and the series received an official series order from NBC on May 11, 2016.

Atlin Mitchell was originally cast in a recurring role as Crimson Fox, but was later replaced by Deanna Russo.

Adam West, who portrayed Bruce Wayne/Batman in the 1960s Batman television series and film, narrated the pilot episode and also played Chairman West in the episode 'Win, Luthor, Draw'.

Marc McClure, who played Jimmy Olsen in the 1978–87 Superman film series, appeared as Emily Locke's father in the pilot episode.

The original pilot featured Kate Micucci and Josh Fadem as Wendy Harris and Marvin White, but both actors were dropped when the series was reshot, with Jennie Pierson taking over as a redefined Wendy character.

Series creator Ben Queen left as showrunner in July 2016, after which the pilot was given a new premise and almost entirely rewritten and reshot without Queen or original director Michael Patrick Jann.

The show's segue shots of the fictional Charm City actually use a western view of the real Cleveland skyline, with fictional buildings like the Wayne Security skyscraper added to the foreground.

The episode 'Emergency Punch-Up' was mistakenly broadcast instead of 'Van v Emily: Dawn of Justice' in Canada, several US regions, and on the NBC website; the running order had been changed because the intended episode featured a chemical gas attack storyline that closely echoed a real chemical attack in Syria that occurred just before airing.

The unaired episode 'Win, Luthor, Draw', featuring Adam West's final performance as Chairman West, was released on DC Comics' YouTube channel on June 16, 2017, one week after West's death.

NBC pulled the final three episodes from its broadcast schedule on April 25, 2017, and officially cancelled the series on May 11, 2017, with the unaired episodes made available on TVNZ OnDemand that same day.

The opening title credits, retained from the original pilot, use artwork styled after classic DC Comics artists like Carmine Infantino and were singled out for praise by critics as beautiful.