Timothy Olyphant joked that his performance was just an imitation of Sam Elliott. Ironically, Elliott would turn up as a recurring guest star in Season 6.
Walton Goggins kept the temporary racist tattoos that his character Boyd wears during the entire time he was making this first episode, both onscreen and off. He wanted to channel the disdain that he received from strangers into his performance. Timothy Olyphant didn't know this and was consequently horrified when he and Goggins went out for dinner and he saw that his friend was still sporting his objectionable tattoos.
The pilot was shot in Miami and Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh and rural towns of Kittanning and Washington.
Boyd compliments Raylan on his appearance and tells him he's "lookin' like a lawman." "Lawman" was the original name for the series, but it was changed after producers learned of the series Steven Seagal: Lawman (2009), also in production. The title was then renamed "Justified" - another word said in the pilot.