“Nashville” aired what’s quite possibly its series finale Wednesday night, but it felt like more of a barn-burner than a swan song. Though showrunners knew full well the country music soap’s season-four closer might serve as its last, given that no network has stepped up to save the series in the wake of ABC’s decision to cancel the show, they chose to cut to black on a massive cliffhanger.  In the final moments of the episode, rather pointedly titled “Maybe You’ll Appreciate Me Someday,” the fate of country starlet Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) was left — literally — up in the air. As ex-husband Avery (Jonathan Jackson) waited for her at an airport, he was given a devastating piece of news: Juliette’s private jet had sent out a distress signal shortly before dropping off the radar, 90 miles west of Nashville.  Those among the show’s modest but fiercely loyal fanbase were likely left with their jaws on the floor, especially given that the finale had appeared to be wrapping up major plot arcs for the rest of the characters prior to that bombshell. But it turns out producers may be doing viewers a favor by playing the long game.  Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva reports that, as with also-canceled ABC vet “Castle,” two finale endings were shot, one featuring a more cathartic reunion between Juliette and Avery and the other brandishing the broadcast cliffhanger conclusion. (“Castle,” for its part, opted to air the more conclusive finale and has since signed off.)  “Nashville” producer Lionsgate TV, which has been busily shopping the show around to other outlets since the cancellation, had the option of bringing fans closure but instead chose to send a strong message: We’re not finished yet.  Indeed, the company even took to Twitter after the finale, utilizing one of the hashtags fans desperate for a series revival have popularized in recent weeks: #BringBackNashville.  #Nashies What a cliffhanger! But we won?t leave you hanging. There's more story to be told. #BringBackNashville  Streaming giant Hulu, which carries the show’s past seasons, could be one likely option for a pickup. It previously rescued “The Mindy Project” after that show, another with unremarkable ratings and indefatigable fans, bit the dust at Fox. Andreeva also writes that Lifetime (launching headfirst into the original programming game with acclaimed drama “UnREAL”), CMT (a fitting if logistically peculiar home), and Bravo/E! (behind Lifetime but still exploring scripted shows) are in the mix as potential saviors.  Regardless of where “Nashville” lands, a finale as wildly ambiguous as Wednesday night’s seems to indicate that producers are confident it’s headed somewhere other than the graveyard. Only time will tell whether that attitude is going to pay off in a fifth season, but either way, “Nashville” has succeeded in leaving its fans begging for an encore.
The series ended its run on ABC with a major cliffhanger. Is that a sign its producers have found the show a new home?