The drama follows a fictional team of elite paramilitary officers from the Special Duties Unit of the Hong Kong police force.

Written by Lee Yee-wah, Tiger Cubs began pre-production with the backing of the Hong Kong Police Force, which supported the drama with their newest SDU equipment.

To keep up with the demanding and flexible physical requirements of the drama, most of the main cast members consistently underwent special training between filming schedules.

Him Law, who portrays SDU A-Team officer Yue Hok-lai, reported that he lost about 10 pounds after filming the first episode.

The actors involved in the shoot admitted afterwards that they rather not have filmed it,[6] and guest star Kenneth Ma, who portrays the hijacker, said he was afraid the scene would tarnish his public image.

On 1 April, TVB executives decided to cancel the scene, stating that the plot was too sensitive and disturbing for the Hong Kong people.