‘Nashville’ Finds New Life at CMT for Season 5

It was announced on Friday morning that CMT has picked up the series, which ABC canceled in May, for a fifth season.

For now, fans who live in the city of the show’s title can celebrate the fact that Nashville is alive and well with a concert later today, which includes Esten, several other cast members, and CMT host Cody Alan.

Per information from production outfit Lionsgate Television, CMT, the supposed new home of “Nashville” season 5, is just one of the “four or five different venues” which expressed interest of buying it. The deal, negotiated by Lionsgate Television Group President Sandra Stern on behalf of Lionsgate and ABC Studios, Sarah Levy of Viacom Kids and Family Group on behalf of CMT, and Hulu executives, is an orchestrated initiative to ensure that Nashville fans will continue to have the same level of access to their favorite show.

No word yet on when the series will air, but it will also be streamed on Hulu. “They have been a key ingredient to the continued success of this show and we’re thrilled to extend our partnership for a fifth season“.

What’s not yet entirely clear, however, is to what extent stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere will be participating in the CMT version of the series. “The wave of love and appreciation they have unleashed for Nashville has been overwhelming”, Brian Philips, president of CMT, said in a statement.

“There’s a little short-term pain but ultimately long-term gain because we intend and are quite focused and are in substantive and serious conversations with multiple buyers about continuing the show on another platform”, Beggs told The Hollywood Reporter the day after the ABC finale.

“The ending we ran was the ending always envisioned for this season“, said Beggs.

Last month, in a surprise decision, ABC declined to renew the country music drama series, which was averaging about 7 million viewers per week – even though veteran TV producers Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick (of “Thirtysomething” fame) were ready to come on board and spice up the flagging plotlines.