When a television show gets canceled, a part of the viewers’ world disappears. Characters whose story lines they were invested in are suddenly gone. A routine disappears. They are left alone. It’s like a breakup, and you’re the one getting dumped.
But the cancellation of NASHVILLE by ABC is more than just another drama gone by the wayside. Nashies (as they are referred to) have taken this personally. Season 4 has already wrapped, so the way the season ends on May 25 is the way the series will end. Their beloved Deacon and Rayna at a crossroads and their daughter Maddie emancipated from them. Juliette and Avery are finding new beginnings with different people. Scarlett and Gunnar are more apart than ever. All these loose ends are in limbo. The fans feel that these characters (and actors) deserve more than this and they, because of their loyalty to the show week after week, do as well.
But it goes even deeper. The uniqueness of NASHVILLE is that these are not actors playing musicians. They ARE musicians acting in a TV show. Through the four seasons the fans have been exposed to original material that has been written by some incredible songwriters for the show; so many songs that double volume soundtracks for each season have been released (as well as a Christmas and two live recorded albums). And with songs written by the likes of Bob DiPiero, Shane McAnally, Brandy Clark, Josh Osborne, Lee Brice, Elvis Costello, Chris DeStefano, Natalie Hemby and Ashley Monroe, just to name a FEW, the songwriting is just beyond amazing.
There is also the original material by the members of the cast, and because most of them (Charles Esten, Chris Carmack, Sam Palladio, Clare Bowen, Jonathan Jackson, Lennon and Maisy Stella, Aubrey Peeples, Will Chase) went on tour during the past three off-seasons playing a mix of show songs and their own, the fans have had a chance to hear their songs (the cast will have their first international leg of the tour this summer) and see first-hand just how talented these people are. Carmack’s EP Pieces Of You is a phenomenal breakthrough debut recording, Esten has several great songs, the Stella sisters are talented beyond their young years, and Bowen belongs barefoot on stage singing her little pixie heart out. Oh and one cannot forget to mention that they are all frequent guests on that hallowed ground known as the Grand Ole Opry.
These additional branches off the NASHVILLE tree make the loss of this show that much harder for fans as their fandom is three-fold: they love the characters, they love the music, and they love the actors themselves.
And then there is the whole other factor that is affected by the cancellation of NASHVILLE: the city of Nashville. The amount of tourism that has come to the city the past four years has been huge. Always a popular spot for up-&-coming songwriters and those already known, The Bluebird Café is even more packed than ever thanks to its place in the show (members of the cast also perform there like regulars) and while all crew suffer a loss when a show ends, the extras and crew members were mostly local. The state and city government was involved as well; Mayor Megan Barry was recently quoted as saying that she was “incredibly disappointed” that the show was canceled as the state and city were already “prepared to support production for a fifth season to be filmed…”
But hopefully all is not lost. There is some glimmer of hope that Lionsgate, the production company behind NASHVILLE, is looking for a new home so the show can live on, giving both the characters and fans a chance to tie up those loose ends and hopefully go even further into the story lines. So keep your fingers, toes and everything else crossed Nashies!