The series adapts only three of C. S. Forester's ten Hornblower novels (Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, Lieutenant Hornblower, and Hornblower and the Hotspur) across its eight television films, with various alterations and additions made to the source material.

Recurring characters such as Lt. Archie Kennedy, Matthews and Styles were added for the series and do not come directly from the original novels.

Captain Pellew's ship HMS Indefatigable was represented by the Grand Turk, a modern replica of the 1741 frigate HMS Blandford, while Hornblower's ship HMS Hotspur was portrayed by the civilian vessel Earl of Pembroke after undergoing conversion.

Since no real 74-gun ship survived (the last one, HMS Implacable, was scuttled in 1949), the ships HMS Justinian and HMS Renown had to be recreated as models for the production.

For the first series, a partial replica of a 74-gun ship called 'the pontoon' was built, featuring one exterior side and three open sides to allow filming live action across several decks.

Later live-action scenes set on the quarterdeck or gundeck were filmed aboard the actual historic ship HMS Victory.

Eleven scale models of ships, ranging from 4.5 to 7 meters in length and with the largest weighing 1400 kg, were used for the battle scenes, featuring working rigging and remote-controlled firing cannons.

Filming locations for the series included the Black Sea, the Livadia Palace, Portugal, and the former Melville administration building of the Royal William Yard along with the Barbican in Plymouth, England.

The series won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or Movie in 1999.

In 2007, star Ioan Gruffudd reportedly discussed the possibility of a big-screen Hornblower adaptation and had been attempting to acquire the rights to C. S. Forester's books.