“Nashville” has added two new faces for the second half of Season 5.
“Hart of Dixie” star Rachel Bilson and “Empire” alum Kaitlin Doubleday announced on Instagram after Thursday’s midseason finale that they’d both be joining the cast of the CMT drama.
Details about who they’ll be playing are being kept under wraps for now, including the characters’ names.
“We welcome Rachel and Kaitlin into our incredibly talented ensemble,” said Marshall Herskovitz, executive producer and showrunner. “We fondly anticipate the second half of the season filled with surprising twists and turns that make ‘Nashville’ so beloved by the fans.”
The news comes two weeks after “Nashville” fans were shocked to see that Rayna, the veteran superstar of country music played by Connie Britton, was killed off in the episode titled “If Tomorrow Never Comes.” Last week’s emotional followup episode, “I’ll Fly Away,” hit new season highs on CMT with a 1.02 rating among adults 18-49, and 2.2 million total viewers.
The network has also released a new minute-long teaser (above) for the show’s new episodes, though no return date has yet been announced. Neither Bilson nor Doubleday appear in the teaser.
“Nashville” is produced by Lionsgate, ABC Studios and Opry Entertainment. Bilson is repped by CAA and Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman. Doubleday is repped by Paradigm Talent Agency and MPG Management.