Cheyenne gets his name from the Cheyenne Indians, who killed his parents but then took him in and raised him.
This was U.S. television's first hour-long western.
Clint Walker had a contract dispute with Warner Brothers, which led to his briefly leaving the show. Under his contract, Walker had to give Warner Brothers 50 percent of his personal appearance fees, and he could only record music under the Warner Brothers label. He wanted the appearance fee cut and wanted to be able to sign with whatever record company he chose. The sides reached an agreement, and Walker eventually returned to work.
On the show, Cheyenne many times took various temporary law enforcement positions. Prior to becoming an actor, Clint Walker was a Deputy Sheriff.
Cheyenne started out with a sidekick named Smitty, played by L.Q. Jones. He was dropped after three episodes, and Cheyenne went the rest of the way alone.