In the summer of 2018, Robin Thede invited her close friends and fellow comedians Quinta Brunson, Ashley Nicole Black, and Gabrielle Dennis to help her develop the comedy series before pitching it to HBO.

The show was originally titled 'The Black Lady Sketch Show' but the name was changed to 'A Black Lady Sketch Show' to communicate that the series is only a single representation of Black women in comedy, not the definitive one.

The series is considered to be the first sketch comedy show written, produced by, and starring Black women.

HBO executives reportedly encouraged Thede to push boundaries and take risks with the show during its development.

A Black Lady Sketch Show is believed to be the first television series to have a writer's room entirely composed of Black women.

Quinta Brunson did not return for season 2 due to scheduling conflicts, and Laci Mosley and Skye Townsend joined as new main cast members; Mosley herself later left before season 3 for the same reason.

Filming of the second season was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, delaying its premiere until April 23, 2021.

In 2020, the show became the first Black women-led sketch show to receive a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series.

For season two, editors Daysha Broadway, Stephanie Filo, and Jessica Hernández won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming, marking the first time an all-women of color ensemble received this award in Emmy history.