That huge sigh of relief you heard a few days ago came from the die-hard Nashville fans when they heard their favorite country soap opera had found a new home.
Yes, fellow Connie Britton lovers, Nashville lives! After being sunk by ABC, the musical drama will resurface on CMT for Season 5.
Not only that, but all 22 new episodes will stream on Hulu the day after they air on CMT.
I received a number of emails when Nashville's cancellation was announced, asking if there was any chance the show would be picked up by another network. Many suggested Lifetime or Netflix (the outfit that saved Longmire), but CMT is the perfect fit.
Frankly, the show is so expensive with such a large cast and music production that I didn't have much hope it could be resurrected. Nashville had been "on the bubble" for a couple of seasons despite a fiercely loyal fan base.
The series, which is produced in part by ABC Studios, had reached the point of diminishing returns. Deadline Hollywood quoted ABC Studios honcho Patrick Moran when he explained the renewal process.
"There are a lot of people that spend a lot of time looking at the economics of these shows," Moran said. "It's a giant puzzle that you put all these pieces together that you hope covers the cost of the show and a little extra. It's tricky when each one of those line items gets tight. But it is a complicated equation and you do feel the pressure of it not making as much money [and] costing more.
"I'm so happy we were able to keep [Nashville] alive but the economics were tight. I'm happy we were able to make this work with Hulu and CMT."
Bottom line: TV is just business.
One concern: There is always the possibility that when a show's budget is cut back, as it surely will be in this case, some of the series regulars could be demoted to part-time status, especially with such a large ensemble.
Fans will recall that in last season's cliffhanger, Juliette Barnes' (Hayden Panettiere) plane sent out a distress signal then lost all contact with the airport tower. Could a plane crash be an easy way to end the Juliette storyline and save a few bucks? We'll see.
Potential belt tightening wasn't a consideration June 10 when CMT brought out three Nashville stalwarts -- Clare Bowen, Chris Carmack and Charles Esten -- at the annual CMA Music Festival to announce the good news to the gathered faithful.
Esten plays Deacon Claybourne and Carmack portrays Will Lexington, but Bowen (Scarlett O'Connor) said it best when she took the stage in Nashville and gushed, "The fact that you guys welcomed us with open arms in 2012 when we did the pilot was one thing, but the fact that you called us back with the roar of lions is another."
The trio then joined to sing "A Life That's Good," a song made popular from Nashville's second season.
• Narcos. Netflix has announced all 10 episodes of Season 2 of its drug kingpin drama Narcos will premiere Sept. 2 at midnight.
The series stars Wagner Moura (Elysium) as Pablo Escobar and Boyd Holbrook (Gone Girl) and Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones) as real-life DEA agents Steve Murphy and Javier Pena.
• Baking Brits. Season 3 of The Great British Baking Show debuts at 8 p.m. July 1 on AETN. A dozen amateur bakers will face off for returning judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood (his real name). Co-hosts are Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc.
There will be three challenges in each episode: a "Signature Bake," to test the contestants' creative flair and ability; a "Technical Bake," of basic recipes with ingredient lists and minimal instruction; and the "Showstopper Bake," designed to display depth of skill and talent.
• Smackdown. USA Network's weekly WWE series will move to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and air live beginning July 19. The new drama Shooter, starring Ryan Phillippe, will debut at 9 p.m. July 19 following Smackdown. More on that later.
• R&I farewell tour. Here's your reminder that TNT's BFF cop drama Rizzoli & Isles is on its last leg. The 13 episodes of Season 7 kicked off June 6.
The series, starring Angie Harmon (Jane Rizzoli) and Sasha Alexander (Dr. Maura Isles), airs at 8 p.m. Mondays and will have 105 episodes in the can when the curtain falls.
That's not a bad run for a simple little formulaic procedural whose gimmick -- the buddy cops are (wait for it) women -- was old news by episode three.
The series has been the perfect summer show that requires no heavy lifting -- just sit back, relax and let the pretty ladies bust the bad guys.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style on 06/21/2016