Nashville (2012 TV series)
Nashville is an American musical drama television series. It was created by Callie Khouri and produced by R. J. Cutler, Khouri, Dee Johnson, and Steve Buchanan through season four, Connie Britton through season five, and Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick from season five on.
Nashville
United States
English
6
124 (list of episodes)
- Callie Khouri
- Steve Buchanan
- Loucas George (season 1)
- James Parriott (season 1)
- R. J. Cutler (season 1)
- Dee Johnson (seasons 1–4)
- Connie Britton (seasons 1–5)
- Ed Zwick (seasons 5–6)
- Marshall Herskovitz (seasons 5–6)
- Jayson Dinsmore (seasons 5–6)
- Morgan Selzer (seasons 5–6)
- Brian Phillips (seasons 5–6)
- Liberty Godshall (seasons 5–6)
- Meredith Lavender (seasons 1–4)
- Marcie Ulin (seasons 1–4)
- Bill Hill (season 1)
- Liz Tigelaar (season 1)
- Chad Savage (season 1)
- Michael Attanasio (seasons 2–4)
- Debra Fordham (seasons 2–4)
- David Gould (seasons 2–4)
- Dana Greenblatt (seasons 2–4)
- Geoffrey Nauffts (seasons 3–6)
- Taylor Hamra (seasons 3–4)
- Randy S. Nelson (season 4)
- Matthew M. Ross (seasons 5–6)
- Jesse Zwick (seasons 5–6)
- Richard Kramer (seasons 5–6)
- Tommy Burns (seasons 5–6)
- Scott Saccoccio (seasons 5–6)
- Antonio Tovar Jr. (seasons 5–6)
- Savannah Dooley (seasons 5–6)
42–44 minutes
- ABC Studios (seasons 1–5)
- Lionsgate Television
- Opry Entertainment
- Cutler Productions (season 1)
- Walk & Chew Gum, Inc.
- Small Wishes Productions (seasons 1–4)
- The Bedford Falls Company (season 5–6)
October 10, 2012 –
July 26, 2018
The series chronicles the lives of various fictitious country music singers in Nashville, Tennessee, starring Connie Britton as Rayna Jaymes, a legendary country music superstar, whose stardom begins fading, and Hayden Panettiere as rising younger star Juliette Barnes. Britton left the show in season five.[2]
The series first aired on ABC on October 10, 2012 and ended in May 2016 after 4 seasons. A fifth season (with a set of new producers, writers and showrunners) first aired on CMT on January 5, 2017.[3] A sixth and final season with 16 episodes first aired on January 4, 2018.[4] The series ended on July 26, 2018.[5]
Production[edit]
Development and filming[edit]
The series was created by Callie Khouri, who won an Academy Award for Thelma & Louise. Khouri lived in Nashville from 1978 to 1982.[18] In an interview for The New York Times she said "This is a place that can be mocked and made fun of, and sometimes it deserves it, like any place. But it also is an incredibly beautiful, cosmopolitan city, and I wanted to show that to the world. I want to represent it in a way that everybody who lives here would find completely realistic."[18] Nashville was the first television series in Khouri's career, after working for two decades as a film writer and director creating strong female characters.[19]
The production began in 2011. In October 2011, ABC bought the original concept from Khouri.[20] Documentary filmmaker R. J. Cutler also joined the project as executive producer alongside Khouri.[20] Nashville was produced by Lionsgate Television with ABC Studios. ABC ordered the pilot on January 27, 2012.[21][22] The pilot episode was filmed in March 2012 and directed by series producer R. J. Cutler.[23] The series was picked up by ABC on May 11, 2012, and premiered on the network on October 10, 2012 as part of its 2012–13 television season.[24] Dee Johnson joined the series as executive producer and showrunner as of the fourth episode, replacing Jim Parriott.[25][26] On November 12, 2012, the series was picked up for a full season run,[27] which was shortened by one episode by the producers (due to production difficulties) rather than the network.[28]
A number of television critics characterized Nashville as "Dallas in Tennessee."[29][30] The original concept was focused on the backdrop of the real country music world.[20] ABC's promotional campaign for the series premiere was primarily focused on the rivalry between a young and ruthless country pop diva (Panettiere) and a past-her-peak superstar (Britton).[18] Nashville was filmed on location and on soundstages in Nashville. The Bluebird Cafe, an important local performance arena, is a frequent setting; the show's art department, headed by production designer Jeff Knipp, precisely replicated its exterior and interior in a Nashville sound stage.[31] After weeks of rumors that production would move elsewhere, it was announced that season two would also be filmed on location in Nashville.[32] Nashville budget hovered in the neighborhood of $4 million per episode in season one.[33] The budget for each season of the series was roughly $39.7 million, $90.2 million, $91.7 million, $85.6 million, $86.6 million, and $62.4 million respectively, with the series' budget as a whole totaling $456 million.[1]
Syndication[edit]
Hulu acquired the streaming rights to all seasons of the show for the United States for its subscription tiers.[180] Later, AXS TV secured a deal for off-network cable rights for the series and currently airs repeats.[181] During the transition from ABC to CMT, Hulu acquired the exclusive streaming rights to Nashville's catalogue.[182]
Impact[edit]
The series has been noted multiple times for its impact on the economy of the state of Tennessee and is credited with increasing tourism to the city and the state. The director of the Grand Ole Opry has stated that the series brought awareness to the arena, while the Tennessean reports that the series brought an "incredible wave of growth, media attention and tourism for its namesake city".[203] Butch Spyridon, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation, claimed that the show was a "huge [...] marketing asset, has put an important spotlight on our songwriter community and the cast members have been incredible advocates for [the city] as well". The series also brought a wave of tourism to the city, with 1 in 5 visitors to the city attributed to having watched the series. Nashville viewers also spent more money and stayed longer in town than usual visitors.[204] Erika Woolam Nichols, COO of The Bluebird Cafe, which was often promoted on the series, stated that "[The Bluebird] [has] had a lot more interest in the venue from the general public; not just music fans as in the past but a greater cross-section of the population. Now our shows sell out in minutes rather than a few days", while noting that the venue has "lots of people who just want to have their picture taken in front of the club."[204][205] With the series being "a brand"[206] for ABC and Disney, the network set up several Nashville-themed tours and activities; including a four-day, three-night tour package.[204] Further reflecting the series' status as a brand, several displays and promotional posters are on display at Disney World in the ABC Commissary Restaurant.[207]
Bluebird Reunion[edit]
Several of the series' cast members, including Clare Bowen, Sam Palladio, and Jonathan Jackson reunited for the CMT documentary film Bluebird. The special aired on February 19, 2020, on CMT and was an in-depth look at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, where the show shot many scenes throughout its run. Also featured in the documentary were many prominent musicians, including Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Taylor Swift, and several more.[209][210]