The series, created by Eric Bercovici and Jerry Ludwig, was made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television.

Assignment Vienna told the story of Jake Webster (Robert Conrad), an American expatriate in Vienna who was the operator of Jake's Bar & Grill, an American-style establishment near the scenic heart of the city.

It did not garner a large share of viewers in either time slot and none of the elements were renewed.

The pilot film, called Assignment: Munich and aired earlier in 1972, had the same three main characters, but a different cast (Jake, Major Caldwell, and Inspector Hoffman were played by Roy Scheider, Richard Basehart, and Werner Klemperer, respectively) and was filmed on location in Munich.

Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows