The upcoming season of “Nashville” will see the introduction of “Looking” alum Murray Bartlett in a recurring role.
The daytime drama veteran joins the musical drama recurring additions, Rhiannon Giddens and Jen Richards for the new season.
According to TV Line, the 45-year-old actor will be playing Jakob Fine. The media outlet describes the character as a very handsome, charismatic, and successful men’s fashion designer.
With Murray’s casting, reports have spiraled out suggesting his character will be a potential love interest for the out-and-proud Will, played by Chris Carmack.
Executives from the show have not confirmed if Jakob will be Chris’ love interest, but has confirmed that the two characters will cross paths and will interact plenty of times.
Not much information has been disclosed about Murray’s character, but fans can expect him to enter the scene sooner than later.
In the Season 4 finale, Will reunited with Kyle Dean Massey’s Kevin which means that Jakob, Will, and Kyle will possibly be involved in a love triangle.
Massey’s character is expected to return to the season in some capacity, but there has been no announcement as to what particular episode will he come back.
It will be interesting to see Will be involved in a love triangle given his struggle to accept what he really is in the previous seasons.
Fans also say that Season 5 is the perfect time to put some spotlight on Will. Her relationship with Layla in Season 3 was a great storyline in order for him to come to terms with his sexuality and the new season could be an avenue for him to discover his take on relationships.
The fifth season of “Nashville” will have a two-hour season premiere on January 5, 2017 on its new home network, CMT. The season will consist of 22 episodes and the season premiere will be titled “The Wayfaring Stranger.”
The past four seasons were previously produced and aired by ABC but the network canceled the show last May shocking a lot of fans.
The show’s ratings were going down since the fourth season and while many fans expected ABC to give “Nashville” another season, the network decided otherwise.
The pick-up by CMT was assisted by $11 million in economic incentives. Filming for the season began earlier this month.
When the show returns, viewers can expect a lot of changes. Apart from its new home, the show will also be run by new executive producers. Ed Zwick has replaced Dee Johnson and is teaming up with Marshall Herskovitz this season.
After Season 4, Will Chase and Aubrey Peeples have also exited the series which means fans won’t get to see Luke Wheeler and Layla Grant anymore.
Luke left Nashville angry after Rayna stood her up on their wedding day and chose Deacon. Layla also left after her efforts to keep Avery to himself backfired leading to Juliette and Avery’s reunion.
In a recent teaser for the new installment, a behind-the-scenes video was shown showing the cast very happy to be back on set.
Charles Esten, who plays Deacon Claybourne, says that he never doubted the show for a second and then bursts into laughter, possibly pertaining to ABC axing them.
Castmates Claire Bowen, Sam Palladio, Jonathan Jackson, Lennon and Massy Stella along with series creators Callie Khouri and Herskovitz said that they were all excited for the new season in the two-minute clip.
Jackson says that after everything the show has gone through, Season 5 feels like such a new show. Lennon Stella adds that she honestly thinks the show will be better. Not in the promo are Hayden Panettiere, Richards, and new showrunner Zwick.