By the time “Nashville” aired its last episode in May, ABC had already canceled the country music drama, making its cliffhanger ending of Juliette’s (Hayden Panettiere) plane going missing a potential series finale.
The series fans’ (“Nashies”) could breathe a collective sigh of relief, then, when CMT picked up the series for a fifth season, which returns with a one-hour sneak peek on the network Thursday at 9 p.m. (CMT will air the full two-hour season premiere Jan. 5).
And though the finale ended in the soapiest fashion possible — with Juliette’s plane in distress as her ex-husband Avery (Jonathan Jackson) waited on the tarmac to reunite with her, their baby daughter Cadence in tow — expect the drama to get more grounded with new co-showrunners Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick (“thirtysomething,” “My So-Called Life”) in charge.
We were much more interested in the dramatic elements than the soap opera elements.
“We made it clear to [the studio] Lionsgate that we were much more interested in the dramatic elements than the soap opera elements,” Herskovitz tells The Post. “Not that we would entirely get rid of those, but the balance would move toward the drama of their inner lives. It seemed like that’s what the fans wanted … after four years. We saw on Twitter and Facebook that people were frustrated with the intensifying level of incident on the show.”
Though the fate of Panettiere’s character is in limbo, nearly all of the major “Nashville” cast members are set to return: Connie Britton (Rayna Jaymes), Clare Bowen (Scarlett O’Connor), Chris Carmack (Will Lexington), Charles Esten (Deacon Claybourne), Jackson, Sam Palladio (Gunnar Scott), Lennon Stella (Maddie Conrad) and Maisy Stella (Daphne Conrad).
Two series regulars were cut in the move to CMT: Will Chase (Luke Wheeler) and Aubrey Peeples (Layla Grant) — Herskovitz says their storylines “had run their course” — but Chase returned for a guest spot in the sixth episode, and Peeples may later as well. Their departures also make way for some new faces in recurring roles: Joseph-David Jones (“Legends of Tomorrow”) as Clay, a moody up-and-coming musician; Grammy nominee Rhiannon Giddens as Hallie Jordan, who becomes integral to Juliette’s storyline; Jen Richards as Allyson Del Lago, a physical therapist who is also transgender; and Cameron Scoggins as Zach Welles, a tech billionaire and Rayna superfan.
Rhiannon GiddensPhoto: Paul Morigi/WireImage
As Herscovitz bluntly acknowledges, “The show wasn’t very diverse,” so for the new season, producers wanted to broaden the faces in the cast and the music genres represented through additions like Giddens, a member of the Grammy-winning folk group Carolina Chocolate Drops.
“Rhiannon Giddens had never acted before. She’s one of those people who just immediately got it,” he says.
As for leading lady Rayna, the season premiere finds her facing new troubles — her label, Highway 65, is struggling financially and she’s reeling from some shocking news.
“Everyone’s very shaken up about what happens to the Juliette character,” Herskovitz says. “That fits into this moment in Rayna’s life. The exigencies of life — of running a business, having a family and trying to figure out how to fit into the landscape of country music today — has led her to a moment of crisis, of questioning herself as an artist [and] as a woman. What does she want from life? She is going to be on a journey to try to find those core elements of her motivation and talent and passion that sustain her.”
“Nashville” Season 5 sneak preview 9 p.m. Thursday on CMT
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