Nashville Loses Layla Grant & Luke Wheeler
As was somewhat expected when Nashville moved to a new network, there have been some cuts to the cast. The first 2 people to be let go are Will Chase & Aubrey Peeples who play Luke Wheeler & Layla Grant on the show, although the door has been left open for them to return for guest appearances, schedules permitting.
Nashville was dropped by network broadcaster ABC, but later picked up in a deal between CMT and Hulu. It’s this change that has necessitated some budget trimming, as they adjust from the large budget of a ‘big 4’ license fee to a basic cable fee.
Both actors joined Nashville during it’s second season as recurring characters, with Chase being upped to a series regular in season 3, and Peeples in season 4. It is possibly both characters may have been dropped regardless of the network switch, as their story arcs had come to somewhat of a natural conclusion.
There maybe some more cast changes to come, although in a recent interview, CMT’s head of of development Jayson Dinsmore did thank 3 of the stars for supporting the move (Connie Britton, Chip Esten and Clare Bowen), so you can assuming they are most likely safe.
Behind the camera, this season will also see new showrunners, as Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick (My So-Called Life, Thirtysomething) take over from the out-going Dee Johnson.
Nashville season 4 is currently set to air on Sky Living in the UK, 25th August 2016.
