Hayden Panettiere, Connie Britton Reportedly Returning for ‘Nashville’ Season 5
Nashville fans won't get to follow the storylines of Luke Wheeler (Will Chase) and Layla Grant (Aubrey Peeples) any further -- but they will get to see more of Juliette Barnes and Rayna Jaymes! Hayden Panettiere (Barnes) and Connie Britton (Jaymes), as well as a number of other castmembers, are reportedly on board for Season 5.
Both TV Line and Variety report that Panettiere and Britton are "poised to return" (in TV Line's words) for Nashville's upcoming fifth season. Additionally, fans of the TV show will see Charles Esten, Sam Palladio, Jonathan Jackson, Clare Bowen, Lennon Stella, Maisy Stella and Chris Carmack back on their screens. Although Nashville's production company, Lionsgate, and CMT, its new network home, declined to comment, sources tell both outlets that it's (in Variety's words) "a done deal." As previously reported, Lionsgate has long-term deals with the show's castmembers.
This news is especially good for those hoping to see more of Panettiere, as Barnes' storyline ended in a major cliffhanger during the Season 4 finale. However, at a recent seminar appearance, Nashville creator Callie Khouri wasn't offering up any hints as to what will happen next with Barnes.
“I’m not going to tell you! I’m not telling you anything,” Khouri said. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
Following ABC’s cancellation of Nashville in mid-May, and thanks in part to fan demand, CMT picked up the show for a fifth season in early June. Nashville will be broadcast and streamed on CMT, and also streamed on Hulu, which currently carries the show’s previous seasons. Prior to ABC’s decision to cancel the show, Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz had been hired as Season 5’s showrunners.
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