Friday, 10 June 2016

ABC cancels "Nashville" after 4 Seasons but being shopped around


"Nashville" the music-centric program, at the heart of Nashville, TN's growth into a major international tourist destination came to an end on the ABC network (announced May 12th).
With enough drama to last for years, ABC's Nashville became an instant favorite when it hit the airwaves in 2011/2012.
Four years and 86 episodes later, the network decided to cancel the expensive series and fans aren't too happy.




















Hollywood wasn't completely surprised by the decision as the ratings of the program's over the air viewings steadily decreased (while the show's ratings with DVR were up each season until the underwhelming and even more dramatic season 4.
The cast of Nashville are weighing in online about ABC’s decision to cancel the beloved country music drama.
The news came on Thursday (May 12, 2016), and it was a huge shock for many fans, since there had been some promising signs that Nashville would earn a fifth season. Lionsgate TV had recently hired two Emmy-winning producers to try to help revamp the show and boost its sagging ratings, and they were even working on possible storylines for next season, according to reports. But in the end, ABC pulled the plug after several years of soft ratings and a difficult fourth season, launching a great deal of speculation online as to why Nashville was canceled.

The actors who shot to fame, and even got to launch music careers of their own via Nashville, turned to social media to express their gratitude to the fans who supported the show — and one of them even appeared to take a little bit of a parting shot at the network. Aubrey Peeples, who played singer Layla Grant on the show, wrote, “I’m so thankful I was part of a special show; I wish it was handled with more care.”
Nashville Mayor Megan Barry even commented on Nashville‘s cancellation.
We are incredibly disappointed to hear the news that ABC has not renewed the show Nashville for another season. The show has been an enormously successful promotional tool for our city, which is why the State of Tennessee and Metro Nashville were prepared to support production for a fifth season the be filmed here,” she posted to Facebook. “This is a loss for ABC and for the millions of fans across the world who have grown to love this show. We have enjoyed hosting the cast and crew of the show over the last four years and look forward to future opportunities for film and television production here in Nashville.”

In fact, Charles Esten told Storme Warren of SiriusXM’s The Highway that he got the news in a text from series creator Callie Khouri at almost the same time it went viral, since “it sort of broke quickly on social media.”



Esten looks back fondly on the run of Nashville, which not only established him in a starring role after years as a working actor, it also allowed him to launch his own music career and tour extensively.
For me, the biggest feeling, honestly … that keeps running through me … is that feeling of gratitude. I’ve been an actor for a long time. And I had, maybe at my age, given up thinking I would get a role like this or a show like this. In fact, I didn’t even know such a thing existed — it didn’t really until Nashville. I think there was a certain magic in it,” Esten reflected.
I’m very, very grateful that I even got this chance … I’ve never honestly had a second season of anything, so four seasons of the dream job of my life is kind of more than I’d ever asked or imagined,” he adds. “Having said that, it’s as bittersweet for me as anybody.”

In fact, Esten plans to remain in Nashville despite the show’s cancellation.
This show has brought me so many blessings that cancelling could never take away,” he said — especially the friendships that he, his wife and children have established. “We’re not going anywhere.”
The May 25 episode of Nashville will now serve as the series finale, but at least fans will get some degree of closure.
Esten said the show wrote and filmed alternate ways to wrap up the storylines so they would be “prepared for this contingency.”



Nashville starred Connie Britton, who also produced the series, and Hayden Panettiere, who took a leave of absence from the series earlier this season.
The drama was one of the few not included in ABC's 15-show renewal spree back in March, and also one of the network's only dramas from an outside studio (Lionsgate). However, the country music series' cancellation was still somewhat surprising.
The series enjoyed a sizable DVR boost, up to a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49, and enjoyed ancillary profits from soundtracks and concert tours.


Clare Bowen, Charles Esten, Jonathan Jackson, Sam Palladio, Chris Carmack, Canadians Lennon Stella, Maisy Stella, Will Chase and Aubrey Peeples also starred. The series saw its cast change several times over the years.
Eric Close, who played Britton's former TV husband, was written out at the end of season three, and Oliver Hudson's character Jeff Fordham was killed off at the beginning of this season.
Former series regulars Robert Wisdom and Powers Boothe also departed the series early in its run. At least one regular has another TV gig already lined up: Palladio is set to appear in the second season of sci-fi drama Humans.

Shopping Around
"Nashville" - the ABC series starring Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere - is reportedly being shopped around to other TV networks for its fifth season.

There is something a bit surreal about seeing members of the cast of “Nashville” on stage a couple of hours before you could watch them in a new episode on ABC," said Melissa Ruggieri of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Even more meta, shortly after their Wednesday April 27th night Fox Theatre concert ended, Charles Esten (aka Deacon Claybourne), Aubrey Peeples (aka Layla Grant), Chris Carmack (aka Will Lexington) and Clare Bowen (aka Scarlett O’Connor) hit social media from backstage to live tweet during the latest episode of the show....Almost as gratifying as watching the cast perform was witnessing their interaction with each other as they entered and exited the stage. There was always a kiss, a hug or a smile, indicating that, TV drama aside, “Nashville” really is one big, happy musical family." - Read more

What about UK Viewers?
Season 4 is yet to be aired and there’s more disappointment for many who don’t have a Sky TV Package.
Nashville fans will have to get themselves a Sky subscription if they want to know who flatlined at the end of the dramatic season three finale, because the glossy ABC series has a new home in the UK.
The drama, set in America's music city, is set to headline on Sky Living when it returns for a fourth run this summer.
The first three seasons of Nashville, which stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere as country music rivals, aired on More 4 and E4 in the UK.
"We are delighted to offer our viewers such an entertaining and captivating drama series as Nashville. With this exciting debut, Sky Living is giving its customers even more of the addictive storylines and strong, confident characters they love to watch," said Adam MacDonald, Director of Sky 1 and Sky Living.
Virgin Media customers can also get Sky Living channel cheap/ inclusive
Previous seasons of the drama will also be available to Sky customers via Sky Box Sets and NOW TV.
Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton) is going to need to stay "Strong Tonight" on Nashville season 4, episode 19 (After You've Gone). 

The Music of Nashville, Season 4, Volume 2

The latest album of the soundtrack series The Music of Nashville (Original Soundtrack) [Season 4], Vol. 2 (Big Machine Records, LLC) released 13 May 2016.
17 Tracks/ Time: 57:14 Amazon UK - UK iTunesAmazon.com 
Suggest you listen before buying the album or tracks.

Matraca Berg, Tom Douglas, Ryan Hurd, Luke Laird, Lee Miller, Jaren Johnson of The Cadillac Three and "newcomer" Maren Morris are just some of the Nashville songwriters with material on the Season 4, Vol.2 project from the ABC series, Nashville.
Titled The Music of Nashville, Season 4, Volume 2, the compilation was released on May 13 by Big Machine Records.
Music from the show has sold over five million tracks collectively across seven soundtracks and a Christmas album.
Buddy Miller serves as soundtrack album producer. Callie Khouri and Steve Buchanan are executive soundtrack producers.

The album features tracks from the cast members including Hayden Panettiere (Juliette Barnes), Connie Britton (Rayna Jaymes), Charles Esten (Deacon Claybourne), Will Chase (Luke Wheeler), Aubrey Peeples (Layla Grant), Johnathan Jackson (Avery Barkley), Clare Bowen (Scarlett O'Connor), Chris Carmack (Will Lexington) and more.

Track Listing for The Music of Nashville, Season 4, Volume 2:
1. “Can’t Say No To Love” (performed by Will Chase) | Written by: Rose Falcon, Joe Ginsberg, Gabriel Dixon
2. “Soul Survivor” (performed by Aubrey Peeples & Jonathan Jackson) | Written by: Luke Laird, Barry Dean, Natalie Hemby
3. “Only Tennessee” (performed by Clare Bowen) | Written by: Claire Guerreso, Daniel Tashian
4. “Kinda Dig The Feeling” (performed by Jonathan Jackson) | Written by: Jaren Johnston, Tyler Bryant, Tom Douglas
5. “Swept Away” (performed by Lennon Stella & Jessy Schram) | Written by: Audra Mae, Blake Sennett, Jarrod Gorbel
6. “Movin’ On Never Felt So Good” (performed by Chris Carmack) | Written by: Gareth Dunlop
7. “From Here On Out” (performed by Charles Esten) | Written by: Andy Albert, Stephanie Lambring, Timothy Bowen
8. “The Rubble” (performed by Clare Bowen & Sam Palladio) | Written by: Sarah Zimmerman, Justin Davis, Paul Moak
9. “Hole In The World” (performed by Lennon Stella) | Written by: Gordie Sampson, Katrina Elam, Steve McEwan
10. “‘Til The Stars Come Out Again” (performed by Maisy Stella) | Written by: Garrison Starr, Justin Glasco
11. “Caged Bird” (performed by Aubrey Peeples) | Written by: Tina Parol, Maren Morris
12. “One Place Too Long”  (performed by Hayden Panettiere) | Written by: Haley Cole, Bobby Hamrick
13. “Ain’t It Beautiful” (performed by Chris Carmack) | Written by: Sean McConnell, Michael Dulaney, Lee Miller
14. “Wild Card” (performed by Lennon Stella) | Written by: Rosi Golan, Claire Guerreso, Daniel Tashian
15. “Boomtown” (performed by Will Chase & Hayden Panettiere) | Written by: Ryan Hurd, Gordie Sampson, Maren Morris
16. “All We Ever Wanted” (performed by Lennon & Maisy) | Written by: Kate York, Matraca Berg
17. “Hold On To Me” (performed by Connie Britton) | Written by: Bob Moffatt, Clint Moffatt, Summer Overstreet

Chart acclaim: 
As for the music The Nashville Cast: The Music Of Nashville, Season 4: Volume 2 - Soundtrack (ABC Studios/Big Machine | BMLG) made a bow on the Billboard 200 at #165 and made a bow at #12 Billboard Top Country Album chart selling 3,700 copies.
17 Tracks/ Time: 57:14 Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com | SPOTIFY
The saucy Music City drama Nashville continues to dish out soundtracks for each of its four seasons. This second volume from the hit show's fourth and final season with ABC once again leans heavily on the talents of cast members Will Chase, Hayden Panettiere, Connie Britton, and Charles Esten, among others.
In its second week at retail it fell 12-24 Country selling around 1,700 copies (down 54%) with a 2-week total of just 5,400.
See Billboard chart dated June 11, 2016 

UPDATE: 
Fans Launch Petition to Try to Save ‘Nashville’

Though Nashville‘s series finale has already aired, the show may still go on. Producers have revealed that multiple networks have expressed interest in the show, and the cast are still under contract.
ABC abruptly pulled the plug on the beloved show on May 12, stunning fans who had followed the characters through four years of drama set amidst the country music business in Music City. Lionsgate TV have been actively shopping the show to other networks to try to secure a fifth season, and TVLine reported that they even changed the ending of the Season 4 finale, which aired on May 25, to a cliffhanger at the last minute to make a projected next season more attractive to potential networks.
Nashville fans have started a petition at Change.org to try to save the show, and have undertaken a very active online campaign using the hashtag #BringBackNashville. The petition has gained more than 168,000 supporters (31,582 needed to reach 200,000) over the last several weeks.
According to Variety, Lionsgate executives who spoke to reporters on an earnings call last week revealed that four or five different networks are currently interested in rescuing the show. The execs state that all of the inquiries have been “inbound inquires coming directly to us, asking about the possibility of moving the show.”
“The fans and everyone else is clamoring for many more seasons,” Lionsgate head of TV Kevin Beggs told reporters, adding, “These kinds of shows can go forever and ever — obviously that’s our hope and expectation, but we’ve got to do it one season at a time. So right now, we’re all about Season 5. So we hope to land Season 5 and keep talking about this show for years to come.”
Beggs also confirmed that Lionsgate has brought Emmy winners Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz on board as showrunners for Season 5, in a display of confidence for the show’s “long-term viability.” And there’s even more good news for Nashville fans; instead of potentially losing the actors from Nashville to other shows while negotiations continue, “We have long-term deals with the cast,” Beggs says.
Read More: Multiple Networks Interested in 'Nashville,' Execs Say | Taste Of Country

‘Nashville’ Not Worth Tax Incentives, Protest Group Says
(June 4, 2016) But a spokesperson for a Tennessee taxpayer’s advocacy group says the show wasn’t worth the tax incentives and grants the city and state paid to keep the production filming locally. Part of Nashville‘s viability since its second season has depended on incentives and grants to help offset part of the enormous costs of shooting on location, and according to Nashville’s WSMV news, local government has apportioned more than $2 million in incentives since 2014; $500,000 in 2014 and $1 million in 2015, with another $875,000 set aside for this year.
The State of Tennessee has also paid out grants totaling $31 million since the show’s first season, with the rationale that the show’s value in driving tourism, as well as the enormous economic impact of having the productions employ local craftsman, actors, musicians, songwriters and various other services, more than makes up for those incentives. But Ben Cunningham, founder of Tennessee Tax Revolt, sees it very differently.
“The state and city together have given this TV show tens of millions of dollars. This is a huge amount,” Cunningham tells WSMV. “And basically what this does is it emboldens any entertainment company that’s coming into Nashville, and of course there are thousands of them, to come to the mayor’s office and say, hey, you gave $10 million or however much money to this Nashville TV series. We want money, too.”
Cunningham feels that government should leave these types of issues to the private sector and use taxpayer money to fund other things.

Headed For CMT?
UPDATE (8 June 2016) CMT May Pick Up 'Nashville' For Season 5
If you've stayed up nights worrying whether Juliette Barnes and her private jet went down in flames, leaving AVERY devastated and destined for single parenthood, worry no more. According to VARIETY (TV Reporter Elizabeth Wagmeister), there may be a fifth season of “NASHVILLE” after all.
The entertainment industry publication reports that Country Music Television (CMT) may pick up the show, recently canceled by ABC-TV.  
VARIETY says CMT was a potential buyer for “Nashville," which triggered interest from other venues, according to Lionsgate Television, who, along with Opry Entertainment and ABC Television, had been shopping the show. Soon after its demise, fans of “NASHVILLE” launched a #saveNASHVILLE campaign. The VARIETY piece went on to assert, “CMT is a seamless home for the Country music drama, which is surely seen as a ‘get’ for the VIACOM-owned Country cabler.
While the ratings (1.8 rating in adults 18-49, 6.7 million viewers overall in NIELSEN’s ‘live plus-7’ estimates) were not strong enough to warrant another season at ABC, those types of numbers are big for CMT.”

Of Note: CMT was the go-to-home for UK country fans some 6 years or so back. There you could check out the new album Listen Parties and watch the latest videos only for them to ban viewers from UK territories and be met with this screen which is still the case today:


















For UK fans this could only be overcome by installing third party “masking shield” software which caused freezing of computer screens and compromised Firewall security.
Comments being made on tvline.com regarding the possible CMT renewal:

  • Lol at people who still only watch TV when it airs on TV and don’t know they can watch literally any episode at any time online…
  • If you can’t pay, just watch online. Several sites, just google.
  • yeah.. easily said then done.. most of these sites are geo restricted.. as in only in the US of A are you able to watch
  • Great news except for the fact that I’d have to switch to another cable provider to get CMT, sigh.
As it stands for UK citizens you will only be able to watch Season 4 soon if you are subscribed to SKY Living.
If you go to abc.go.com you can read episode recaps and watch the odd clip like this one (Episode 20; Layla Performs 'Soul Survivor' with Avery). 
Otherwise this message is flagged up!
You appear to be outside the United States or its territories. Due to international rights agreements, we only offer this video to viewers located with the United States and its territories.

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