Some guest actors have said that the working environment on the show was very different from other shows, because the writers were really open to suggestions from the cast, even while shooting scenes, to the point of stopping shooting for a while and sitting around to discuss the scene if there was room for improvement.
Walton Goggins, who was born in Alabama and grew up in Georgia, originally declined the role of Boyd Crowder, out of concern that the show would perpetuate negative stereotypes of Southerners as one-dimensional rednecks and hillbillies. He changed his mind, and did the pilot as a favor to Timothy Olyphant, whom he knew through friends. It was supposed to be one episode only; Boyd originally died at the end of the pilot, as he did in the novel on which the show was based. However, when the character scored well with test audiences, it was decided to reshoot the ending to allow Boyd to survive and become a recurring character.
Throughout the series, the characters frequently drank Kentucky bourbon, particularly the top-shelf brand Blanton's. The Props Department poured the liquor out of the bottles, and replaced it with watered-down Diet Coke for the cast members to drink instead. Timothy Olyphant took the real bourbon home in mason jars. On the night the series finale aired, he brought a jar of bourbon on Conan (2010) to toast to the show with Conan O'Brien.
Jeremy Davies (Dickie Bennett) was a fan of the show in its first season and asked to be considered for a role on the show. His performance as Dickie Bennett earned him back-to-back Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2011 and 2012, winning the award in 2012.
Nobles Holler was based on a real Harlan County community, Coe Ridge Colony, which was settled and maintained by emancipated slaves following the Civil War. Battered white women from all over the state would go to the holler to flee their abusive husbands, whom they knew would be too afraid to follow them.