Gerald McRaney was originally cast as Jack Long, with Larry Breeding co-starring as Neal Townsend.
A test pilot was shot with McRaney and Breeding, and after ABC picked up the show, the project soon faced recasts.
Plans were moving forward to shoot a second pilot when Larry Breeding was killed in a car accident on the Hollywood Freeway on September 28, 1982, and dealing with his loss preempted the show's development for several more months.
It's Not Easy finally resurfaced on ABC's development slate in the spring of 1983, with Bert Convy taking over the role of Neal Townsend, and with a fall premiere date that year.
It's Not Easy was filmed at Radford Studio Center, at Los Angeles, California, but it is set in Lyndhurst, New Jersey