Edmond O'Brien appeared as Will Varner for the first 13 episodes of the series. He left because of disagreements with the producers, primarily over their decision to make the Ben Quick character central to the series. He was replaced by Daniel O'Herlihy.
Like the 1958 film which preceded it in name, this series was based on material by William Faulkner, the novel "The Hamlet" and the short story "Barn Burning".