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'Nashville' season 5 release date, cast news 2016: CMT premiere confirmed; Connie Britton to exit series?

Sheanne Aguila August 26, 2016 03:28 AM EST

Actresses Connie Britton (L) and Hayden Panettiere, two of the stars of the new drama series \'\'Nashville\'\', speak during a panel discussion at the Disney-ABC Television Group portion of the Television Critics Association Summer press tour in Beverly Hills, California in this... | REUTERS/FRED PROUSER/FILES

After getting the axe from ABC, "Nashville" will officially start anew in its new home network CMT for season 5 next year. Unfortunately for fans, Connie Britton is reportedly planning her exit from the show.

The upcoming fifth season has already been confirmed to premiere in January 2017 but prior to its airing, a new behind-the-scene shakeup recently happened. Entertainment Weekly reports that Britton, who plays the role of Rayna James in the show, got a reduced workload for season 5 in preparation for an early exit. Out of the 22-episode order for the musical series, Britton will only appear in 10 episodes.

According to the media outlet, a reliable source claims that the deal is not yet final and they are still hopeful that she will be in more episodes. No word from the network or execs yet on how Britton's character will be written off the story. Meanwhile, Britton's co-star Hayden Panettiere is fully on board for the whole season. The same goes for supporting cast members. Charles Esten, Sam Palladio, Jonathan Jackson, Clare Bowen, Lennon Stella, Maisy Stella and Chris Carmack.

As previously reported by TV Guide, Rayna will be crossing paths with a young and wealthy app developer who happens to be a fan. He will help her jumpstart her singing career by introducing her music to the younger generation, but he will also have more dangerous plans for her. Season 4 left off with the fate of Panettiere's character Juliette hanging in the balance but based on recent reports, it seems the errant plane carrying her will land safely for her to wreak more havoc in the next episodes.

Catch the premiere of "Nashville" season 5 on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 9 p.m. EST on CMT.

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