While fans bid their final farewell to the ABC show "Nashville" after a successful four-season run, CMT has announced that they are renewing the series for yet another season.

However, it seems that the fifth season will not be featuring too much of the original cast, such as Connie Britton (Rayna James). It looks like CMT is be setting up the stage for new characters in season 5.

Initial photos for the first day of production that were released via Twitter also showed the minimal participation of Britton.

According to a report by Breathecast, the main focus of the new season will be a transgender woman who will play an important role in the life of Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) following the plane crash. The first episode of the season, entitled "The Wayfaring Stranger," is expected to introduce the new character.

The report indicated that while Britton may appear in only a few episodes, Panettiere will remain as a regular cast member after she signed on for the 22 episode run of the new season.

It has been rumored that while Juliette survived the crash, the event will take a major toll on the character in "Nashville" season 5. 

Also returning to the show are Charles Esten (Deacon Claybourne), Sam Palladio (Gunnar Scott), Jonathan Jackson (Avery Barkley), Clare Bowen (Scarlett O'Connor), Lennon Stella (Maddie Conrad), Maisy Stella (Daphne Conrad), and Chris Carmack (Will Lexington).

A separate report by release.date info confirmed that the show will return to CMT next year. The revival of the show will also be marked as a special event. The pilot episode for the fifth season is pegged as a two-hour TV event.

Aside from airing on CMT, the show will also stream on Hulu. The return of Nashville is expected to bring back some 4.9 million viewers and 1.22 rating among the 18-49 demographic, which the show maintained for its four-season run. 

Fans of the American musical drama television series "Nashville" can watch the show's season 5 premiere on Thursday, January 5, 2017, at 9 p.m. EDT on CMT.