The series was created by Holly Sorensen, who also serves as an executive producer alongside Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan.

[8][9] On June 23, 2017, YouTube announced that it had officially given Step Up: High Water a first season order consisting of ten episodes, each running about 45 minutes in length.

The series was described as YouTube Red's first "big-budget, Hollywood-produced television drama" and that its arrival would end up "moving it into more direct competition with players like Netflix and traditional cable networks."

[4] On June 28, 2017, it was announced that Ne-Yo, Naya Rivera, Faizon Love, Lauryn McClain, Petrice Jones, Marcus Mitchell, Jade Chynoweth, Carlito Olivero, Terrence Green, R. Marcos Taylor, Eric Graise, and Kendra Oyesanya had been cast in the series' main roles.

[18] After YouTube canceled the series, Petrice Jones moved on to other projects, leaving him unavailable by the time Starz picked up the show for Season 3.

[20] On August 13, 2017, the cast of the series, including Jade Chynoweth and Kendra Oyesanya, performed at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards with a highly choreographed dance routine.

The event also included a screening of the original 2006 Step Up film that launched the five-film franchise, and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the television series.

"[25] In another favorable critique, Decider's Kayla Cobb described the series as "a genuinely compelling and dramatic story that very well may stand as the best narrative installment of the Step Up universe.