“Nashville” is officially a go for Season 5 at CMT, TheWrap has learned.
The country music drama will continue on the cable network after it was canceled by ABC during the annual housekeeping that is upfronts season. In addition, Hulu will continue to make all “Nashville” episodes available to stream the day after they air on CMT.
ABC devastated fans of the primetime soap starring Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere when it announced last month that the series would not return for a fifth season. The news came just a few weeks after “Thirtysomething” duo Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz were named new showrunners for next season.
After the cancellation, fans were further upset when the season ended on a massive cliffhanger, leaving the fate of Panettiere’s Juliet Barnes a mystery after the character’s plane went missing. A rosier alternate ending was also shot, but producer Lionsgate opted for the open-ended route to bolster efforts to find the show a new home.
“CMT heard the fans. The wave of love and appreciation they have unleashed for ‘Nashville’ has been overwhelming,” Brian Philips, president of CMT, said. “‘Nashville’ is a perfect addition to our evolving line-up of big music specials, documentaries, and original series. We see our fans and ourselves in this show and we will treasure it like no other network. ‘Nashville’ belongs on CMT.”
The series is produced by Lionsgate, ABC Studios and Opry Entertainment. Production will commence in Nashville with Zwick and Herskovitz at the helm.
“Nashville” premiered on ABC in October 2012. It was created by Academy Award winner Callie Khouri and produced by R.J. Cutler, Khouri, Dee Johnson, Steve Buchanan and Britton.