Editor’s Note: WARNING: This story contains spoilers about the series finale of “Nashville.”
Fingers are still crossed that the now-canceled TV series “Nashville” will find a new home, but regardless, producers are looking out for the viewers.
The show ended after four seasons with a cliffhanger featuring Juliette Barnes (played by actress Hayden Panettiere) rushing off to reunite with her beloved ex-husband Avery Barkley (actor Jonathan Jackson) and their daughter when her plane goes missing. Fans were not thrilled about it.
‘Nashville’ series finale gives us hope
Lionsgate Television produces the series and chairman and CEO Kevin Beggs told The Hollywood Reporter there is an alternative happy ending that will be made available to fans – even if the show isn’t picked up by another network or streaming service.
“I’m sure we would figure out a satisfying way for audiences to see an alternative ending – but it won’t be as good as the ending we have given them,” Beggs said. “In a perfect world, we’d be making this show for many more seasons. Our hope and intention is to have an asset that continues to grow for many years.”
Beggs said the finale as it stands was the one that had been planned before they were informed that ABC was canceling “Nashville.” Once they knew, the powers that be declined to try to slap together another ending that might have been less controversial with fans.
“The ending we ran was the ending always envisioned for this season,” he said. “These things are crafted over weeks and months. In our estimation, to go with a quickly assembled too-easy wrap-up is more of a disservice to the fans who have invested four years in this great cast and these great stories. And there’s more stories to tell.”
The #BringBackNashville movement is going strong on Twitter and Beggs told THR he is hopeful that they will be able to make fans happy. And that doesn’t mean ending the beloved series where it did with the finale.
“We’ll jump off that bridge when we come to it, but I honestly don’t think we’re going to be there,” he said. “I feel strongly and very positively about our prospects and chances.”