Rachel Bilson, Kaitlin Doubleday join CMT's 'Nashville'

March 10 (UPI) -- Rachel Bilson and Kaitlin Doubleday have been cast as series regulars in CMT's music drama Nashville.

The new additions are set to appear in the second half of Season 5 and follow the departure of star Connie Britton.

"We welcome Rachel and Kaitlin into our incredibly talented ensemble," said Marshall Herskovitz, executive producer and showrunner in a statement. "We fondly anticipate the second half of the season filled with surprising twists and turns that make Nashville so beloved by the fans."

Both actresses' gave hints towards their roles on Instagram with Bilson posting an image of the show's Highway 65 record label while Doubleday posted an image of the Bluebird Cafe.

"Music city, here I come," Bilson wrote while Doubleday captioned her image writing, "This will definitely be a change of pace!"

In an interview with Deadline, Herskovitz stated that new characters were always meant to join the show following Britton's departure. "We made casting additions in the fall, and it was always our intention even before we decided that Rayna would die that we would make additions to the cast in the second part of the season, don't think any of them is related to her death," he said.