“Nashville” fans attending Charles Esten’s show Friday night got more than just a good concert. They were the first to learn that the country music drama would be back on TV before the end of the year.

Esten was playing at the Grand Ole Opry, where the show has filmed many times, and apparently brought some news with him. The venue’s Twitter revealed that the Deacon actor announced “Nashville” Season 5 will premiere on CMT in December (and hit Hulu the day after).

Several other tweets indicate that the former ABC drama’s creator, Callie Khouri, was there to make the announcement as well. An exact date and time was not revealed. A CMT spokesperson confirmed to TVLine that there still isn’t a definite premiere date, so the December plans aren’t set in stone yet.

“Nashville” fans are happy they’re getting a Season 5 premiere at all. ABC canceled the drama after four seasons in the spring. The show, however, decided to still end on a cliffhanger. Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) ditched the Oscars to reunite with Avery (Jonathan Jackson) and her baby. However, her plane suddenly went missing. It looks like fans will find out what happened in December. CMT quickly picked up the drama for a 22-episode fifth season.

When the show returns to CMT, expect the cast to be just a little smaller. Will Chase, who played Will, did not sign on for Season 5 after taking a lead role in “Something Rotten” on Broadway. Aubrey Peeples, who played Layla, also will not return. However, most other cast members will, including Hayden Panettiere, which seemingly hints at Juliette surviving whatever happened to her plane.

“Nashville” Season 5 will likely premiere in December on CMT.

RELATED STORIES