The series began filming on 21 September 2009 in Melbourne, and featured both on-location and studio filming. The series took nine weeks to shoot, with the crew filming two sets of two-day location shoots each week, followed by studio days the next week. Each episode took an average of three days to shoot. Dale Mark's art department was in charge of the creation and recreation of the murder scenes. Dale Mark's art department was in charge of the creation (on location) and recreation (in the live studio) of the murder scenes; Watt noted "They’re all interiors, due to the limiting nature of a whodunit with only four suspects, and the fact that we have to match the location in the studio". The series' main writer is comedian Matt Parkinson, though Wilson was "given licence to tweak the script", commenting "I got hooked on alliteration in the summation part of the show, and that became part of that segment and then I just added little gags. It was great to feel such a part of the process." Watt and Brendan Luno wrote the scripted segments were written over 16 weeks. Each episode of the first series presented a self-contained story set in contemporary setting, including a MasterChef parody, a recording studio, a gym, and an office. To mUmbrella, Kane would not disclose the budget for Sleuth 101, but hoffered the following formula as a guide: "Half a drama shoot + half an episode of Spicks and Specks = the cost of Sleuth 101. 10 minutes worth of drama plus 20 minutes of light entertainment". Cal wrote some alliteration summaries for the shows. Cal noted there were some 10-year-old boys in the audience who reached the correct solution. Cal enjoyed seeing comedians try their hand at cerebral detective work. ARIA award designer Mark Denning gave the ABC permission to use the award as a weapon it the second episode of the show, though The Australian noted this has never happened in real life.
