Not to take anything away from the 1975 Robert Altman flick of the same name AND its 24 main characters, four Oscar nominations (including Best Picture), and inclusion on the American Film Institute's "100 Years... 100 Movies" list, but it's the ABC TV series that's garnering critical and ratings success as of late. Recently renewed for a second season, this popular prime-time drama focuses on Golden Globe nominees Connie Britton and Hayden Panetierre as competing rival country music stars who are at the opposite ends of the career spectrum. Britton plays 40-year-old fading superstar Rayna James (based on a hybrid of Faith Hill, Reba McEntire and Bonnie Raitt), while Panettierre portrays former teen sensation Juliette Barnes (rumored to be a combination of Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood), who's trying to take James' country music crown. The cast also features such top-notch talents as Jonathan Jackson, Robert Wisdom, Powers Boothe and Chris Carmack.
It’s official: Nashville is returning for a third season.
Following prolonged negotiations, the Connie Britton-Hayden Panettiere country music drama rebounded from a critically maligned freshman season finale and held onto much of its first-year viewership. ABC’s Ben Sherwood announced the renewal late Friday via Twitter. The renewal is for a full 22-episode season.
PHOTOS: Broadcast TV’s Returning Shows 2014-15
In the key adults demo, the Lionsgate TV-produced series from Callie Khouri is down four-tenths of a point and about 500,000 viewers. Also working in the musical’s favor is ABC’s largely forgettable freshman crop of dramas, with limited series The Assets as well as Betrayal, Killer Women, Lucky 7, Mind Games and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland all failing to make the cut.
Meanwhile, Nashville breakouts Charles Esten, Clare Bowe, Jonathan Jackson, Sam Palladio, Chris Carmack and Will Chase hit the road for a small multi-city tour on the back of multiple albums and music downloads, which help provide ancillary revenue to support the series.
PHOTOS: Broadcast TV’s New 2014-15 Shows
Nashville joins a roster of returning dramas including Castle, Grey’s Anatomy, Once Upon a Time, Revenge, Scandal, Resurrection and Agents of SHIELD. The network has already picked up eight new dramas — even with last year. They are Shonda Rhimes‘ How to Get Away With Murder, Secrets and Lies, Astronaut Wives Club, Agent Carter, The Club, American Crime, The Whispers and Forever.
For a complete guide to what’s renewed, canceled and picked up, head to THR’s handy scorecard.
