Wednesday’s “Nashville” finale will be the last episode to air on ABC, but producing studio Lionsgate TV is assuring viewers it will not represent the end of the show’s story.
“#Nashies What a cliffhanger,” Tweeted the studio following the episode. “But we won’t leave you hanging. There’s more story to be told. #BringBackNashville”
The referenced cliffhanger concerns the fate of Juliette Barnes, played by Hayden Panettiere.
After finally coming clean about her addiction, her demons, and the circumstances surrounding Jeff Fordham’s death, Juliette ditched the ongoing Academy Awards ceremony – at which she was nominated – to fly home to her daughter Cadence and ex-husband (but ongoing love interest) Avery.
Avery brings Cadence to the airport to greet Juliette but receives alarming news while waiting on the runway. Air traffic control received a distressed signal from Juliette’s jet and had since lost contact. The episode, as well as the series’ ABC run, ended without revealing Juliette’s fate.
Lionsgate does not yet have a deal for a fifth season, but it has been talking with various cable and streaming networks about continuing the series. The public promise of a resolution is both a sign of the network’s confidence and a way to rally more fan support for the “Bring Back Nashville” movement.
The decision to air the cliffhanger ending is seemingly based on similar logic.
Aware that cancellation was a possibility, “Nashville” reportedly shot an alternative, happier, more definitive ending for Wednesday’s episode. But even though the cancellation came, “Nashville” decided to air the cliffhanger, which is more suited for a season finale than series finale.
Such a decision clearly required optimism about the show’s future, but it also represents a valuable strategic move: a show with an open-ended “season finale” — one that will have fans demanding answers — is clearly more attractive to a new network than one that decisively ended its narrative.
