The original pilot was originally released with a different actress portraying Grandma Quinn in the birthday cake scene. Little remains of that scene, as the entire premise was changed. Originally, Buddy (Aiden Lovekamp) sneezes on the cake, but the scene was changed to show Buddy and Kelly (Olivia Sanabia) fighting over and eventually dropping the cake. The only thing left of the original scene is an audio clip of Mr. Quinn (Andrew Burlinson) saying "Exit stage left, Buddy", a nod to the Quinn's having a background in theater, another premise cut from the series.
Though Kelly Quinn (Olivia Sanabia), Hannah Parker-Kent (Aubrey K. Miller), and Darbie O'Brien (Abby Donnelly) all portray girls of the same age and grade level, they are actually all about one year apart. At the time the series premiered, Aubrey was 13, Abby was 12, and Olivia was 11.