Nashville Season 5: Who's Out?

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We do not mean to harsh your buzz, Nashville Fanatics.

But...

While CMT has, indeed, picked up Nashville Season 5, having saved the series from ABC's cancelation a couple weeks ago, sources now confirm to TV Line that two series regulars will not be making the move from one network to another.

Both Will Chase and Audrey Peebles are out.

The news should not come as a huge surprise to followers of the musical drama.

Following the dissolution of his engagement to Rayna on Season 3, Chase's Will had very little to do.

A bulk of his Nashville Season 4 storyline centered on him sticking up for Wheelin’ Dealin’ Records artist Will Lexington after he was attacked by a homophobic talk-show host.

Peeples, meanwhile, portrayed Layla, a character who hoped to avenge Jeff Fordham’s death by ruining Juliette’s romance with Avery.

However, Avery found out about her plan, which appears to be the end of that storyline.

In other Nashville Season 5 news:

Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick are coming on board as new executive producers, taking over the duties of daily show running from Dee Johnson.

There also may be an after-show of some kind!

This is what CMT’s head of of development, Jayson Dinsmore, told Deadline of that possibility:

“Nothing’s set in stone, but imagine if we did sort of a Talking Dead for Nashville where we had some of the cast, maybe some performances, maybe some fans come and talk about the show.

"We [would] do it in the studio, sort of engage the audience and that loyal fan base on a deeper level.

"That’s something we can afford to do in cable that they probably don’t have the opportunity at broadcast.”

How awesome would that be?!?

React to the possibility of a companion program and to the departure of Chase and Peebles below.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.

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Nashville Quotes

Why can't they just give out the damn award already? Why do they have to throw so many parties?

Juliette

What you're bailing on the party? Great that's one less person's feelings I have to tiptoe around all night.

Juliette [to Avery]