He has worked on almost 200 productions including Starsky and Hutch, Charlie's Angels, The Love Boat, Vega$, Hart to Hart, Dynasty, The Colbys, T.J. Hooker, Family, Twin Peaks, Nightingales, Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, 7th Heaven, and Charmed. He also produced the NBC TV series Titans with Yasmine Bleeth in 2000. Certain sources list him as the world's most prolific or successful television producer.

Aaron attended Forest Avenue High School. After serving with the USAAF, he graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1945. He went to New York and found some work as an actor. He married actress Carolyn Jones, in 1953, and they moved to California. He had his break as a writer, selling his first script to Jane Wyman Theater in 1954. He went on to write for Dick Powell, Playhouse 90, and Last Man, amongst others. He joined Powell's Four Star Productions. After the death of Powell he formed Thomas-Spelling Productions with Danny Thomas. Their first hit was The Mod Squad. In 1972, he created Aaron Spelling Productions and another co-production company with Leonard Goldberg. His company went public in 1986 as Spelling Entertainment.

He divorced Jones in 1965 and in 1968 he married Carol Jean Marer (aka Candy Spelling). He is father of the actors Victoria Davey Shanian (Tori Spelling) and Randall Gene Spelling (Randy Spelling). He lives in Los Angeles; his home is the largest single-family dwelling in California.

Spelling also created the NBC daytime soap opera Sunset Beach from 1997 to 1999.

Despite his many accomplishments in life, Spelling continues to emphasize that his favorite project of all time is 7th Heaven. The success of this "little drama that could", and the fact that it has been the WB's most-watched series since 1998, is beyond belief to him.

As of January 28 2006 he stands accused of sexual assault by his nurse who is seeking unspecified damages for 10 claims, including sexual harassment and discrimination, retaliation, sexual battery (for making "contact with the plaintiff's intimate parts"), assault, wrongful termination, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.