casting cuts

Time to Pen a Farewell Song: Nashville Drops Will Chase and Aubrey Peeples As Series Regulars, Though They Might Return for Closure

Photo: ABC

Luke and Layla have sung their last ballad. TVLine reports that series regulars Will Chase, who plays Luke, and Aubrey Peeples, who plays Layla, have been cut from the regular lineup as Nashville moves to CMT. The cuts aren’t that much of a surprise regardless of the network move: Luke has had little to do after his relationship with Rayna James ended, mostly devoting himself to being a good ally to gay country star Will Lexington. The same goes for Layla, whose role as spoiler to a Juliette-Avery relationship has mostly played out. It’s possible they could return in guest stints, but don’t pine for them, because they’re already gone.

Update: Buried in the joyous news that Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere are likely to return to Nashville, Variety reports that Chase and Peeples are indeed in talks to return to the CMT-saved show in order to wrap up their story lines. Variety affirms that the two will not come back as series regulars, but they may be brought back for a “few select episodes.” Because if there’s anything this cancellation-resurrection debacle has made clear, it’s that saying good-bye to Nashville ain’t easy.

Chase, Peeples May Finish Nashville Story Lines