‘Nashville’ Season 5B Spoilers: 6 Things To Know About The Drama’s Return

The midseason hiatus is almost over for “Nashville”! When the show left off, Rayna had just died and the characters were trying to figure out how to move on with their lives. When Season 5B returns to CMT, the characters will still be struggling. Find out what to expect in the second half of the season:

Zach Sticks Around — Cameron Scoggins has been upgraded to series regular, TVLine reports. That could hint that Will’s (Chris Carmack) new love interest is getting serious, but Zach also has business in Nashville. With Rayna (Connie Britton) dead, he has to make sure Deacon (Charles Esten) can lead Highway 65 to success.

Deacon’s New Roles — As Rayna’s husband, the guitarist is going to have to take over for his late wife. Deacon is suddenly a single parent and a boss at Highway 65 Records. Neither is going to be easy. While Maddie (Lennon Stella) tries to launch her career, Daphne (Maisy Stella) will start acting out and skipping school.

READ: Charles Esten reacts to “Nashville” Season 6 renewal

Juliette is Back — As her body heals, so does her attitude. Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) will be rushing back to the stage, but she might end up ditching her new friends along the way. A new trailer shows Juliette facing off with Hallie (Rhiannon Giddens). “You are deceiving your fans. You’re deceiving everyone,” Hallie claims. Juliette doesn’t seem to be offended by her insults.

Scarlett’s Baby — When we last saw her, Scarlett revealed she was pregnant and didn’t know who the father is. She is indeed going through with having the baby, and she’s waiting to find out if she shares a child with on-again off-again love Gunnar (Sam Palladio) or music video director Damien (Christian Coulson). Those results will be life-changing.

New Characters — Expect several new faces to join “Nashville” Season 5B. These are just a few of them:

• Liv (Odessa Adlon) is a teen who escaped a bad home situation and now lives among other teen runaways in Music City.
• Brad Maitland (Jeff Nordling) is the owner of Nashville’s most successful record label, and he has the ego that goes along with that title.
• Rachel Bilson will join her fellow “The O.C.” alum Chris Carmack on the CMT drama, but her role is being kept secret. However, her Instagram makes it clear that the character will be spending time at Highway 65.
• “Empire” alum Kaitlin Doubleday will also join the cast in a mysterious role.

Time Jump — The midseason premiere of “Nashville” Season 5 will pick up three months after we last saw our characters. While the initial shock of Rayna’s death is over, the characters will still be feeling the effects of losing her.

“We’ll come back and it will be three months later and people are trying to move on with their lives,” showrunner Mashall Herskovitz told Entertainment Weekly. “There’s a balance struck between the new stories, some new people that come into [the characters’] lives, and the fact that they’re still dealing with this incredible loss.”

“Nashville” Season 5B returns Thursday, June 1 at 9 p.m. EDT on CMT. Find out how to see the cast perform live on tour HERE.