On May 11, 2012, The CW Network announced the cancellation of Ringer (2011-2012) due to low ratings. Fans of the series did their best to keep it on air by having online petitions on such sites as Twitter.com, Ipetitions.com and Gopetition.com. On Petetionbuzz.com, the series gained well over 10,000 signatures in just a couple of weeks. The petition stated how Ringer was nominated for twelve awards throughout its run and was airing in more than forty countries worldwide, and doing well internationally. The petition also pointed out how fans would be happy to see the show on TV again, even if it were not on The CW. Suggested networks included TNT, AMC, or FX.
Kristoffer Polaha was thrilled to be able to finally work with Sarah Michelle Gellar, as one of his first auditions was for the role of "Riley" in Buffy - Im Bann der Dämonen (1997).
There are several possible meanings for the show's title. The most straightforward definition is "something that strongly resembles a second thing." There have been at least two other filmed thrillers about twins that also used this meaning of "ringer" in their titles (1988's Die Unzertrennlichen (1988), starring Jeremy Irons twice, and 1964's Der schwarze Kreis (1963), starring Bette Davis twice). A "ringer" can also be a synonym for an impostor or someone posing as someone else, just as Bridget pretends to be Siobhan. The third reference that the show's title makes is to the homophone "wringer," which can mean a difficult or painful situation.
The show was green-lit by CBS, who were interested in working with Sarah Michelle Gellar. They failed to pick up the pilot to a full series, citing that it was down to a lack of available spots on the schedule and the serialization of the show not fitting in with CBS's procedural nature. However, the show was immediately picked up by the CW network thereafter. Gellar eventually worked with CBS on The Crazy Ones (2013).
Different hairstyles were used to help the audience distinguish which twin Sarah Michelle Gellar was portraying (Siobhan or Bridget). Siobhan wears her hair up in a bun, braided or pulled back, whereas Bridget wears hers down.