As far as ratings go, Nashville has been doing very well and critics have reviewed the show with a mostly positive note. Since the first season, which saw just more than 7.5 million viewers, the viewership has dropped, but never lower than 6.5 million viewers. Those numbers do not include the proposed two plus million viewers that DVR the show to watch later.
Other than Panettiere coming back in April, news surfaced this week that she will be on television before she appears back on Nashville season 4. According to reports, she is scheduled to appear on Lip Sync Battle alongside Eva Longoria sometime in February.
That has to be good news for her fans. She should be able to get the time and treatment needed to overcome her condition and that will only be good for her, the show and her fans. The show has not released any formal statement regarding the leave of absence at this time.