‘Nashville’ Says Goodbye to Series Regular, Adds a New Cast Member

Fans of the ABC TV drama Nashville who haven't watched the most recent episode, which aired on Oct. 28, should stop reading now, because some juicy details are about to be revealed. The cast of the TV show has officially said goodbye to yet another series regular, in a dramatic and jaw-dropping send-off, and a new member has joined the cast.

Oliver Hudson, who played loathed music industry veteran Jeff Fordham, has been written off the show: Fordham died during his attempt to save Juliette Barnes (played by Hayden Panettiere) from killing herself by jumping off a roof in a suicide attempt. However, Jessy Schram, who most recently played Ella on Once Upon a Time, will soon make her first appearance on the award-winning drama. She will play Cash Gray, the daughter of Deacon Claybourne's (played by Charles Esten) AA sponsor, Frankie, who is a singer-songwriter.

This cast change news comes as Panettiere is taking a break from Nashville, to recover from postpartum depression. Although the actress portrays a new mother who is struggling with the same issue on the show, Nashville executive producer Dee Johnson says that the fact that the storyline mirrors Panettiere's life is completely coincidental.

“We incorporated Hayden’s pregnancy into the storyline last season, but we knew Juliette would have issues with motherhood and had always planned for her to struggle with her demons afterwards, including postpartum depression," Johnson tells Deadline.

The executive producer adds that Panettiere has their full support and insists she will rejoin the cast when she is ready.

"It’s not the entire season, it’s just for now," Johnson adds. "And, yes, we’ve had to make adjustments, but it’s not uncommon for shows to have to make such accommodations when real life intervenes."

Nashville airs on Wednesday nights at 10PM ET on ABC.

Country Stars Who Have Acted in TV Shows and Movies