(2012) According to Nielsen Co. figures, the show set a cable viewing record as the top-rated entertainment telecast ever for ad-supported basic cable. The 3 parts pulled in 13.9 million, 13.1 million and 14.3 million viewers respectively. The previous top-rated basic cable entertainment program was TNT's Crossfire Trail (2001).
Devil Anse Hatfield's agnosticism of Christianity as depicted in the show is historically accurate. Devil Anse's baptism occurred in 1911, when he was 72 years old.
Kevin Costner directed some scenes himself to help speed the schedule along, having a longtime working relationship with series director Kevin Reynolds
Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield was 22 and Randell McCoy was in his 30s when the war broke out, much younger than Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton, respectively, were when filming.
There are fewer historical sources on the McCoys than on the Hatfields, so much less is known about them.