Nashville Jen Richards
Jen Richards will be the first transgender actress on CMT when she appears on “Nashville” Season 5. She is pictured at the “Her Story” screening on Jan. 6, 2016 in West Hollywood, California. Getty Images

“Nashville” has added another new character. Jen Richards, a transgender actress known for her work on “I Am Cait” and “Her Story,” will join the Season 5 cast. It looks like she’ll be helping one of the major characters get through a difficult time on the CMT drama.

Richards will play Allyson Del Lago, a physical therapist, Deadline reports. Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) will likely be the one who spends the most time with her. As previously reported, Juliette will be in bad shape after her plane crash. She’ll survive, but she’ll need someone to lean on, and it seems that person will be Allyson.

Before Richards was cast, TV Guide reported that a transgender character “will play a significant role” in Juliette’s healing process. The country star’s life will be in shambles after her accident. She might not even want to go back on stage again. Allyson will definitely be able to help Juliette’s physical recovery, but will she be able to handle Juliette’s emotional damage as well?

Allyson is one of several new characters who joined “Nashville” after the series moved from ABC to CMT. Grammy award-winner Rhiannon Giddens will play a social worker with a beautiful voice, and the series is currently searching for an African American actor to play Clay, an up and coming musician. They’re even holding open auditions, allowing fans to try out for the role.

It isn’t clear if Allyson will also be a singer, but it seems like there will still be plenty of music in Season 5. Showrunners Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz will bring the focus back to the music industry in the new episodes.

“Nashville” Season 5 will kick off with a two-hour premiere Thursday, Jan. 5, at 9 p.m. EDT on CMT.

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