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Nashville renewed for a sixth season – but will it be its last?!

But HOW will it work without a very special someone around?
Hayden Panettiere and Jonathan Jackson of Nashville

Crank up the country music folks, because Nashville is returning for another season. Hooray! Cable network CMT have just announced it will be renewing the drama series, marking the show’s sixth season overall.

It’s a win for Nashville fans, after they fought so hard to have the series saved from cancellation.

“The devoted Nashie fan base has generated record-breaking numbers for CMT,” CMT President Brian Philips told Entertainment Weekly. “Nashville ranks as the network’s highest-rated and most-watched show in the network’s history, averaging 2.1 million weekly viewers.”

The sixth season, however, will only run for 16 episodes which is a smaller arc compared to previous seasons. Is the show winding down? After the recent bombshell, fans have been wondering how much longer the series has left.

It’s been an emotional journey for Rayna and Juliette.

[Warning: SPOILERS!]

It’s safe to say most Nashville fans are going through the seven stages of grief right now after Rayna’s (Connie Britton) tragic death. Here at TV WEEK HQ, most of us are still in the denial phase and we’re a long way from acceptance.

Even Connie’s co-star Hayden Panettiere reveals it was “difficult” to say goodbye to her character.

“It’ll be tough to go on without her,” the 27-year-old tells TV WEEK. “Rayna will be sorely missed.”

As a lead character, Rayna’s fatal car accident was a huge risk for the writers and has left big shoes for the next person to fill. So can the newcomers live up to the task?

Former The OC and Hart Of Dixie star Rachel Bilson has been confirmed to appear in the second half of season five, while Jeff Nordling (Big Little Lies) will star in season six. He is set to play the owner of a successful record label, Brad Maitland.

We can’t wait to see how the season plays out!

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