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If you know Connie Britton from her great work on the series “Friday Night Lights,” you know she can say the phrase: “I appreciate that,” like no one else. I don’t know if she ever said it during her season on “American Horror Story” but she sprinkles it throughout her dialogue on “Nashville.” As Rayna Jaymes, a fading country music star adjusting to the new realities of not being number one, she will say “I appreciate that” and you believe her even when her character is nowhere close to feeling grateful. Maybe it’s the southern accent.
“Nashville” is ABC’s answer to “Glee” and “Smash” but with a more seamless integration of story and music. On “Nashville,” characters don’t break into song on the street or in the middle of a restaurant. There are no fantasy numbers or dream sequences where people start singing during a visit to the dentist. Songs are organic to the drama and the only dream is a career in country music. The show tells the story of those who have it and those who want it but also what it takes to keep it.
Rayna Jaymes has it and so does Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere), a young star who is the darling of the record label. Rayna realizes just how much her star has faded when the label tells her she needs to be Juliette’s opening act on tour. Their rivalry also extends to Rayna’s band member and former boyfriend Deacon Claybourne (Charles Esten) who Juliette desires both romantically and professionally. Work and love are also complicated for Deacon’s niece Scarlett O’Connor (Clare Bowen) whose talent as a songwriter is threatening her relationship with her insecure musician boyfriend Avery Barkley (Jonathan Jackson).
Much like a country song, the characters on “Nashville” all suffer from heartbreak. Rayna’s is in a bitter relationship with her tough father Lamar Wyatt, played with smooth coldness by Powers Boothe, a shaky relationship with her husband Teddy Conrad (Eric Close) who is struggling to overcome his past mistakes and in the sad realization that music may be done with her. Juliette is emotionally broken by a mother who is an addict. Deacon is scarred from what his past addiction has cost him and Scarlet’s heart is continually broken by the petty jealousies of Avery while she in turn is breaking the heart of her songwriting partner Gunnar Scott (Sam Palladio) who is not so secretly in love with her.
Woven into all this drama is some great original music which adds another layer to the emotional complexity of the characters. You don’t have to be a fan of country music to enjoy “Nashville” because it so expertly uses the genre to both enhance its storyline and transcend it. The music on the series blurs the boundaries between country and pop and country and blues and even country and rock. It’s a something for everyone approach that still manages to remain true to its country roots while ultimately serving the story.
“Nashville” is on Wednesdays at 10pm/9pm Central on ABC.
Melissa Crawley credits her love of all things small screen to her parents, who never used the line, "Or no TV!" as a punishment. Her book, "Mr. Sorkin Goes to Washington: Shaping the President on Television's 'The West Wing,'" was published in 2006. She has a PhD in media studies. To comment on Stay Tuned, email her at staytuned@outlook.com or follow her on Twitter: @MelissaCrawley.
