It’s been a real day of good news, bad news for Nashville fans. On the heels of the announcement that CMT has set a premiere date season 5, reports are coming in that the show might lose one of its major stars for the revival. According to EW, season 5 of Nashville could be the final one for actress Connie Britton, who plays Rayna Jaymes.
CMT Announces Season 5 Premiere Date for Nashville >>> The season 5 revival of Nashville on CMT is slated to have a full 22-episode season. Yet as of right now, Britton has only signed on to appear in 10 episodes for season 5. Discussions are ongoing, but it appears that Britton will be leaving the show sometime in season 5. Reports indicate, however, that Nashville will retain their other leading lady Hayden Panettiere, as she is apparently on board for all 22 episodes.
Still, losing Britton, if she actually does exit, would be a huge blow for Nashville. Connie Britton is such a talented actress that she is often the best part of whatever project she is involved in at the time. The character doesn’t need to be that dynamic (as seen by Britton’s short stint as Faye Resnick on People v. OJ Simpson) and she can still steal the show.
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Rayna is not a small or drab character. It really is a whole other story when considering Nashville without Rayna. Since Hayden Panettiere had to leave the show (briefly) following medical issues with her pregnancy, Britton’s Rayna has been the glue that has held Nashville together. Rayna is arguably the main character of Nashville even though the show is supposed to be designed as an ensemble nighttime soap.
Hopefully the deal will work out and Britton will stay on the series for longer than season 5 and appear in more than 10 episodes. Otherwise, a Nashville revival without Connie Britton and Rayna can’t really be considered a revival at all. Without Britton, Nashville will likely be a very different (and perhaps lesser quality) show.
But what do you think? Will you continue to watch Nashville if Connie Britton does leave? Can Nashville survive losing her character? Do you think she will end up leaving? Let us know in the comments and poll below.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.
