Two series regulars will no longer join "Nashville" when the series transfers to CMT for season 5.
TVLine exclusively revealed that Will Chase and Aubrey Peeples will no longer reprise their roles as Luke Wheeler and Layla Grant, respectively.
Both storylines of Will and Aubrey seem to have wrapped up at the end of season 4. After Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton) broke off her engagement with Luke in season 3, Luke only spent the entire season 4 taking care of Will Lexington's (Chris Carmack) career.
Meanwhile, Layla tried to avenge the death of her manager-turned-lover Jeff Fordham (Oliver Hudson) after he fell to his death when he tried to save Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) when she attempted to jump off a rooftop. To hurt Juliette, Layla tried to ruin her relationship with Avery Barkley (Jonathan Jackson). But her plans were thwarted when Juliette and Avery got back together by the end of season 4.
This means that the characters had already served their purposes in the series and the show could go on without them next season.
The country musical series had been cancelled by its original network ABC, but Lionsgate TV managed to find a new home for the show to meet the strong demand from its loyal fan base. CMT saw the show's full potential, which is why they agreed to a full season order that comes with 22 episodes.
To celebrate the show's move from ABC to CMT, Variety reported that VIP Fan Auctions will conduct a "moving sale" that will feature items from the show's first four seasons for auction. They will include some of the most notable wardrobe from the characters, including the wedding dress of Rayna and the dress worn by Juliette when she appeared on "Conan" for an interview. The items will be shown on the official auction site where fans can bid on items from June 21 until July 26.
CMT has yet to reveal the official premiere date of "Nashville" season 5 soon.
