CMT picks up 'Nashville' for a fifth season

NASHVILLE, June 10 (UPI) -- Nashville is heading to CMT for Season 5 after its previous home ABC declined to renew the country music-tinged, nighttime soap.

Production is scheduled to resume soon in the show's namesake city with Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz at the helm.

The next run of episodes will be available to stream on Hulu the day after they air on CMT.

"CMT heard the fans. The wave of love and appreciation they have unleashed for Nashville has been overwhelming," Brian Philips, president of CMT, said in a statement Friday. "Nashville is a perfect addition to our evolving line-up of big music specials, documentaries, and original series. We see our fans and ourselves in this show and we will treasure it like no other network. Nashville belongs on CMT."

"Nashville has long been a fan favorite show on Hulu and we are so proud to continue to make new episodes available for fans to stream the day after they air," added Craig Erwich, Hulu's senior vice president and head of content. "We look forward to bringing even more episodes of this acclaimed series to its passionate and devoted audience."

The series follows recording artists Rayna Jaymes and Juliette Barnes, played by Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere, and the various family members, friends, lovers, up-and-coming performers and songwriters in their lives.