'Nashville' Season 5 News, Updates, Spoilers: Transgender Actress Jen Richards to Join Show; Will Juliette Barnes Recover from Plane Crash?
New casting news for the CMT country music drama "Nashville" Season 5: actress/activist Jen Richards will be joining the show as a physical therapist, marking the show's first transgender character. She'll be taking on the role of Allyson de Lago, who's described as a "tough but understanding" therapist who will help one of the series regulars go through a very difficult time.
What this casting means
It's largely speculated that Richards' character will be deeply involved with Juliette Barnes, (played by Hayden Panettiere), who was involved in a plane crash in the Season 4 finale of "Nashville." With Richards' casting, speculations that Juliette had died can now be put to rest (no pun intended). In fact, fans should be more worried about what the accident had caused her beyond the scrapes and bruises, as she might be traumatized off the stage - forever.
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With de Lago's arrival in "Nashville" Season 5, Juliette may find the strength to perform again. Other reports even suggested that Juliette may find a new love interest in de Lago during the course of their sessions together. What will become of Avery, then?
Richards' historic arrival on the show marks the first transgender actor not just on "Nashville" but on the CMT network as well. Prior to this, she was the star, co-producer and writer of the Emmy award-winning series "Her Story." She's also produced the documentary series "More than T," and writer for "Trans 102." She's also an activist and has appeared on several media projects and national organizations.
Other casting news
Richards joins Grammy award-winning singer and powerhouse Rhiannon Giddens, who will play Hanna Lee "Hallie" Jordan, a social worker with "the voice of an angel." GIddens is the vocalist of postmodern string band, Carolina Chocolate Drops.
Their additions could offset the loss caused by Aubrey Peeples (Layla Grant) and Will Chase (Luke Wheeler), who will no longer return to the fifth season of "Nashville" due to conflicting schedules. Connie Britton, who plays Rayna Jaymes in the series, is also set to appear in only half of the season's full 22 episodes. The network's trying to get her on board for more episodes, but it looks like the actress is setting the stage for her exit from the beloved country series.
Excited to see both of them in action yet? "Nashville" will return in a special two-hour premiere on CMT on Jan. 5. The same episodes will be available on SVOD partner Hulu the day after they air on the network.
