Cult Country Music Series Nashville Axed

Just weeks before the season four finale was set to air, US country music drama Nashville has been axed by American network ABC.

A solid-ratings performer in the US (and expressed to local screens via Foxtel's SoHo channel), the series was expected to be picked up for a fifth season.

While not a pop culture phenomena like its R&B TV counterpart Empire, Nashville had become a money-making franchise for ABC with its spin-off soundtracks and tours. 

Based around the soapie-like goings-on of the Nashville music scene, the show starred Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights, Me And Earl And The Dying Girl) and Hayden Panettiere (saving her from a potential life as a fan convention professional continually reliving her days as 'the cheerleader from Heroes') playing fictionalised country music superstars. Both actors supplied their own vocals for the show.

Created by Thelma & Louise director Callie Khouri, producers already had writers started on season five stories and had hired the high profile new team of Marshall Herskovitz (thirtysomething, My So-Called Life) and Ed Zwick (director of films Glory and The Siege) to come aboard as showrunners. So the announcement of the axing came as shock to many industry pundits.

Concert appearances by the show's stars have made the actors well-received performers on the country music circuit, with Aubrey Peeples, Jonathan Jackson and former The OC star Chris Carmack all recreating the characters' songs on stage. It's even made break-out stars of sister duo Maisy & Lennon Stella as well as Australian actor Clare Bowen (soon to perform her songs at venues back home).

Nine of the show's soundtracks landed in the US country top ten albums chart under the supervision of music luminaries such as T-Bone Burnett, Buddy Miller and WG Snuffy Walden.

However, Deadline Hollywood is reporting that not all hope is lost for the show yet as producers are believed to be shopping it to non-network broadcast platforms, with Hulu tipped to be in the show's sights.

Check out Australian Nashville star Clare Bowen performing at Grand Ole Opry: