There have been a lot of rumors that Nashville star Connie Britton would be departing the country music drama, now in its fifth season and first on CMT. Speculation about Britton’s impending exit intensified in recent weeks as word spread that the Emmy-nominated actress would be available for pilots this season. She has emerged as one of the most sought-after female leads, and already has been the subject of a lot of incoming interest from the broadcast networks.
The network and producer Lionsgate TV are not commenting when or how Britton’s storyline would wrap. The Season 5 midseason finale of Nashville airs on March 23.
CMT
Britton’s country star Rayna James has been dealing with an identity crisis and has been the target of a stalker this season.
Rayna was one of the two central characters on Nashville, along with Hayden Panettiere’s Juliette, when the soapy music drama created by Callie Khouri launched on ABC. While the show evolved into an ensemble of country musicians at different stages of their careers, Rayna had remained its emotional center.
After four seasons on ABC, Nashville was surprisingly canceled in May. Helped by the outpouring of fan support, the show was picked up by CMT where it has set ratings records and has drawn praise for its creative direction under new showrunners Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick.