“Nashville” Season 5 Updates: Connie Britton To Leave Series? Stalker Might Force Country Queen Out

Will “Nashville” lose its queen bee for Season 6? Rumors are swirling that actress Connie Britton will depart from the series following its move from ABC to CMT. Bustle reports that ever since the series cancellation in ABC, Britton is purportedly available for pilot season, and is on the lookout for a new leading role to sink her teeth into.

Britton, who plays country music queen Rayna James in the show, could be prepping for the event that “Nashville” won’t be renewed for another season on CMT, Cartermatt said. Should this be the case then, fans will expect less and less of Rayna James, and that the show would probably focus on other story arcs apart from “Nashville”’s main one, which is music star versus music star. “Nashvile” after all, is a story of rivalry between James and up-and-coming singer Juliet Barnes (Hayden Panatierre).

On the other hand, Refinery29 said Britton’s way out might have already been in the cards. Siince Deadline and TVLine first reported Britton’s potential departure from the show, one theory suggests that James might leave TV Nashville should the restraining order she filed against a dangerous stalker named Carl Hockney will not stop the latter from harming her and her family.

“Of course, there's no proof that a stalker plot means Rayna (and Britton) will be leaving the show. But we do know that Rayna would do anything to keep her family safe — even if that means moving out of Nashville,” Meghan Demaria for Refinery29 postulates.