These Nashville Stars Will Be Back For Season 5

Nashvillians rejoice, your queens are returning. Yes, both of them. Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere will be back for the show's move to CMT, TVLine reports. The stars will reprise their roles as Rayna James and Juliette Barnes as the show makes a move from network to cable. Charles Esten, Jonathan Jackson, Sam Palladio, Clare Bowen, Chris Carmack, and Lennon and Maisy Stella also seem likely to return, though nothing has been confirmed on that score. Panettiere had a tough year during the filming of last season, leaving production to get healthy following a battle with post-partum depression before returning for the final nine episodes. Britton didn't exactly seem ready to leave Nashville behind, calling the show's end "Bittersweet." Juliette's fate was unclear during the ABC finale on May 25. Her plane lost radio contact with the ground, leaving us to wonder about her fate. There was apparently an alternate ending filmed in which Juliette lived to reunite with her husband, but the producers elected not to show it. Now, they won't have to. They have at least 22 more episodes to put everyone where they want them.