Nashville fans went through quite an emotional ordeal recently, as it temporarily looked like the drama's cancellation at ABC meant we wouldn't get to see these characters on our televisions again. But then in stepped CMT, the most natural new home for the show, and excitement for Season 5 could really begin. Unfortunately, producers had to make a few cuts on the move from broadcast network to cable channel, but now we know that the majority of the show's major players will be returning, headed up by Connie Britton's Rayna James.
While I'm sure there weren't many people out there holding their breath over the chance that Connie Britton wouldn't be tapped to bring her signature class back to the faux country music scene, the fact that nothing had been announced yet was quite the curiosity. So yes, Rayna will be back, and you're probably thinking that Charles Estes will also be back as Rayna's on-again/off-again Deacon, and that is the correct assumption to make, according to TVLine.
But you're probably even more anxious to know how that crazy cliffhanger will end up, right?
Fear not, world! Hayden Panettiere will reportedly be back for Season 5 as the illustrious Juliette Barnes. You may recall that when Season 4 ended, Avery learned at the airport that Juliette's plane had gone missing after a distress signal had been sent out, making the cancellation news all the more frustrating for viewers. But it looks like the sensible decision has been made to write an explanation for the missing plane so that Juliette can come home safely to her husband, as Avery portrayer Jonathan Jackson will also be returning for Season 5.
It's fabulous that Nashville will have four of its top draws back for more, but let's not forget everyone else that we'll be seeing again. We'll also get to catch up again with Clare Bowen's rising star Scarlett O'Connor, Sam Palladio's rising-even-higher star Gunnar Scott, Chris Carmack's out-of-the-closet hitmaker Will Lexington, and the sisterly duo of Maddie and Daphne Conrad, as played by Lennon Stella and Maisy Stella, respectively.
Confirmed recently were the character exiles of Will Chase's Luke Wheeler and Aubrey Peeples' Layla Grant, neither of whom will be returning for Season 5. And there are still a bunch of recurring characters whose fates are still up in the air, but if CMT is dedicated enough to bring back almost the entire main cast, the network just might be interested in keeping around more of the second-tier players than we thought.
There's no telling just when Nashville Season 5 is going to hit CMT, but at least we know that we're going to see just about all of the most familiar faces coming back for another round of harmony-blending drama.
