After almost being discontinued when ABC dropped the country musical series, cast member Charles Esten hinted that "Nashville" season 5 will premiere in its new home, CMT in December.

During his performance at the Grand Ole Opry, the actor, who portrays the role of Deacon Claybourne in the series, said that the series will return by the end of the year. While the announcement has yet to be confirmed by CMT, series creator Callie Khouri was present during the event when Esten made the announcement.

The network also remains to be mum about the official release date of the show's premiere episode.

Fans almost never had the chance to see the country musical drama series return after its original network dropped the show after season 4. However, the clamor from the fans prompted CMT to take it in because of its strong following.

While the plot for the upcoming season continues to be a secret, Khouri told the press during the Tennessee Screenwriting Association seminar that the new season will deal with the downward spiral of the music industry.

"One thing I would like to deal with is the collapse of the music business and just how hard it is," Khouri said, as reported by Taste of Country. "This stuff is really hard. You can't just put out a record and suddenly it's No. 1 and all of a sudden they're big stars. That's not how it happens. So, I think we are going to deal more with the struggle of it. I think that's a truer representation of what's really going on."

The fifth season of "Nashville" will see the return of the original cast members, including Connie Britton as Rayna Jaymes, Hayden Panettiere as Juliette Barnes, Lennon and Maisy Stella as Maddie and Daphne Conrad, Sam Palladio as Gunnar Scott, Jonathan Jackson as Avery Barkley and Clare Bowen as Scarlett O'Connor.