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".
The title song for the series, "The Long, Hot Summer" (performed by Jimmie Rodgers and written by Sammy Cahn and Alex North) was also used as the title song in the 1958 feature film starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.
Although ABC-TV greenlighted the series after viewing its pilot, the network demanded a number of players in the pilot not transition to the series, While Edmond O'Brien as Will Varner, Nancy Malone as Clara Varner, Anne Helm as Amy Parker and Lana Wood as Eula Harker would all play their roles in both pilot and series, the role of Ben Quick, played in the pilot by Tom Stern, would be recast in the series with Roy Thinnes; Jody Varner, played in the pilot by Tom Skerritt ,would be recast for the series with Paul Geary; Minnie Littlejohn, played in the pilot by Gale Robbins, would be recast for the series with Ruth Roman. Also the characters of Alan Stewart and Elizabeth Stewart, played in the pilot by respectively Burt Metcalfe and Lillian Bronson, were dropped for the series. ABC-TV in fact had also wanted Nancy Malone as Clara Varner replaced in the series but, when screen tests failed to yield a viable replacement, Malone, though miffed at having been essentially fired by the network, was persuaded to re-assume the role of Clara.