Nashville (new ABC show)

[twickster]

This has gotten a lot of buzz, so I checked out the season premiere tonight -- pretty good. I am not at all a country music fan, but I like good music, and that song the kids sang at the end is pretty damn good. And I like a nice complex soap, which it looks like this is. And a hell of a cast -- Connie Britton, Powers Booth, a bunch of other people.

Of the new shows, this is the one that seems most likely to keep me engaged for a full season. (I keep defending Elementary, but I certainly see the problems with it.)

Did anyone else see it?

[AuntiePam]

I caught the last 15 minutes and liked it. It's got some good people -- Mrs. Coach, Cy Tolliver, Bunny Colvin.

I didn't catch all the relationships though. Who's the candidate Connie appeared on stage with at the end? Husband? Son? Brother?

I was at the waitress who said she'd never sung into a mike before. No way that song wasn't well rehearsed, and it would have added some authenticity if they'd admitted it, or if she'd messed up, at least a little bit.

[DoctorJ]

I liked it. It's fairly soapy, and Hayden Panettierre's character is a little over-the-top bitchy, but the acting is all great and the music is perfect (as you'd expect with T-Bone Burnett running things).

Great to see Del McCoury and the boys get a little face time. Del has the best smile in the music business.

[twickster]

Originally Posted by AuntiePam

I didn't catch all the relationships though. Who's the candidate Connie appeared on stage with at the end? Husband? Son? Brother?

Husband, who's not the man she truly loves (who is, apparently, the father of her younger daughter, and who just got seduced by the young rival star) -- said husband having been manipulated by Connie's crazy rich and super evil father. Connie had been planning to support the husband's rival, a black guy who's apparently an old friend of both hers and her husband's.

They sure packed a lot into one show....

[WOOKINPANUB]

I hadn't planned on watching it but it came on after Modern Family and I was doing homeowrk so just didn't bother to change the channel, What a pleasant surprise!

I didn't pay quite enough atention to absorb all the characters / relationships. Is it just me or do all the men(except Powers Booth) look the same?

I had a pretty strong dislike for Connie Britton on American Horror Story
and I can't say I like her any better now, yet she plays the role perfectly. So maybe I do like her (?)Ditto Hayden Panettiere.

Also thought the song the girl at the end sang was great.

[AuntiePam]

Originally Posted by twickster

Husband, who's not the man she truly loves (who is, apparently, the father of her younger daughter, and who just got seduced by the young rival star) -- said husband having been manipulated by Connie's crazy rich and super evil father. Connie had been planning to support the husband's rival, a black guy who's apparently an old friend of both hers and her husband's.

They sure packed a lot into one show....

Who was seduced? The father or the younger daughter?

Now I'm really sorry I missed it. Maybe it'll be repeated.

[gwendee]

It's even more soap opera-y than I expected. I'm not sure yet if I'll stick with it just because there's already so much to keep straight. I probably will, as much for the music as anything else. Ready to read the Rayna/Deacon fan fiction.

Will the sister turn out to be a bad guy or a good guy?

[twickster]

Originally Posted by AuntiePam

Who was seduced? The father or the younger daughter?

Now I'm really sorry I missed it. Maybe it'll be repeated.

The father, who's Connie's true love/leader of her band/not her husband. Hayden is after him both personally and professionally (though it's already clear she doesn't actually separate the two -- she'll sleep with anyone who will help her get ahead).

[SaharaTea]

I had doubts about this show, but I'd watch Connie Britton read the phone book. I was pleasantly surprised. None of the characters were one-dimensional, save for Rayna's father. I'll be back.

The song at the end is by The Civil Wars, and was definitely a highlight.

[twickster]

Originally Posted by gwendee

Will the sister turn out to be a bad guy or a good guy?

Ooh, good question!

[Skammer]

I tuned in mainly for the character of Nashville, since I've been living here for 12 years now. Nice to see a bunch of familiar landmarks although I have to wonder who the owner of the Bluebird Cafe slept with to get such a big plug.

I thought it was good - it reminded me a lot of Dallas with music instead of oil. And like everyone else is saying, I loved that song at the end. I kept expecting a little message at the end of the show reminding us to download the music from iTunes or something.

My only complaints: 1) I'm not sure who that light-haired guy was - the one who was in the recording studio with Hayden and then she was in his bed when Connie went to his apartment. Who is he exactly? 2) Having Connie's ex-lover/bandleader guy give in to Hayden's seduction so quickly makes him less sympathetic, when it seemed like they were setting him up to be a Good Guy 3) Connie's rich evil Dad seems pretty cartoonish. Hayden did too, but at least she's got that thing with her mother that humanizes her a little bit.

I don't keep up with very many shows but I'll probably keep watching this one.

[zagloba]

Originally Posted by DoctorJ

Great to see Del McCoury and the boys get a little face time. Del has the best smile in the music business.

That was a nice little cameo, plus they announced his name from the Opry stage. I wonder how many viewers recognized him or his name? One can only hope that a future episode features him in performance.

[SaharaTea]

Originally Posted by Skammer

I tuned in mainly for the character of Nashville, since I've been living here for 12 years now. Nice to see a bunch of familiar landmarks although I have to wonder who the owner of the Bluebird Cafe slept with to get such a big plug.

From what I understand the Bluebird Cafe doesn't need a plug - it's been the place for Nashville's up and coming singer-songwriters for many years. There was a movie called The Thing Called Love made in the early 90s (it was River Phoenix's last-ish movie) about young songwriters trying to make it big in Nashville, and most of it took place at the Bluebird.

[Skammer]

That's certainly true, I just didn't know how well-known the Bluebird was outside Nashville (unlike, say, the Grand Ole Opry). But like I said, I like seeing them using real Nashville locations like the Capital Building and the pedestrian bridge. It's really a nice little city.

[WordMan]

Originally Posted by DoctorJ

I liked it. It's fairly soapy, and Hayden Panettierre's character is a little over-the-top bitchy, but the acting is all great and the music is perfect (as you'd expect with T-Bone Burnett running things).

Great to see Del McCoury and the boys get a little face time. Del has the best smile in the music business.

Yep, given the pedigree of the music, I have it DVR'd. Don't know if I can handle the soapiness, but it would be fun to see a show with some reasonably-accurate music and insider/backstage looks at the music biz...

[randwill]

Originally Posted by Skammer

2) Having Connie's ex-lover/bandleader guy give in to Hayden's seduction so quickly makes him less sympathetic, when it seemed like they were setting him up to be a Good Guy

This is American network (Disney-owned ABC, no less) television so morally ambiguous characters are a no-no as this might confuse the lowest common denominator viewer demographic. But wouldn't it be refreshing if that weren't the case?

Too bad the Powers Booth character doesn't have a moustache to twirl while he's tying his victims to the railroad track.

[Just Ed]

Originally Posted by Skammer

My only complaints: 1) I'm not sure who that light-haired guy was - the one who was in the recording studio with Hayden and then she was in his bed when Connie went to his apartment. Who is he exactly?

Randy Roberts; a producer, apparently with a history producing Rayna's (Connie Britton) records. Earlier, after the meeting with the record company execs, he mentioned he'd brought three songs to Rayna that she rejected, presumably because they were too commercial. She went there that night to ask him if she could record those songs as bonus singles to try to help her sales, but they'd already been recorded (by Juliette? Wasn't clear, but probably at least one of 'em; there were at least two recording sessions with her).

I watched for Connie Britton; I've liked her ever since her stint on The West Wing, though I just realized outside of that, American Horror Story, and the movie Friday Night Lights, I really haven't seen her in much of anything (didn't catch the Friday Night Lights series).

There really was a lot of set-up in that episode, but it didn't feel rushed, and oddly enough, didn't need a whole lot of narrative exposition. Sure, it's dealing with some standard tropes, but I thought it was written very well. I'm hoping it doesn't get too soapy.

[DMark]

I pretty much loathe country music, but did read a review that said I would still like this show anyway.

I have it on DVR and will try to see it tonight or tomorrow - glad to hear it has started off promising.

[Alice The Goon]

I hate country music, but I really liked this show. I also thought the men all looked alike and I couldn't keep them straight, but I expect that will resolve itself as I get to know the characters.

[twickster]

Originally Posted by Just Ed

Randy Roberts; a producer, apparently with a history producing Rayna's (Connie Britton) records.

Was he the one who kissed Juliette when she was crying in the bathroom? And was he the one who showed up in the rain when Juliette was seducing the guitarist?

Agree that a lot of these good ol' boys look a lot alike -- but also agree that we'll start sorting out who's who (and what the character names are) soon enough.

[randwill]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who couldn't tell the male characters apart. I'm male, so I wonder if it works the other way around. Did any female viewers have trouble telling the two young blond female singers apart?

I think this is a problem because the network suits demand that all the lead actors must be generically beautiful/handsome.

[twickster]

Originally Posted by randwill

Did any female viewers have trouble telling the two young blond female singers apart?

No, because they're 25 years apart, and because one is played by Connie Briston and the other by Hayden Panetierre.

[randwill]

Originally Posted by twickster

No, because they're 25 years apart, and because one is played by Connie Briston and the other by Hayden Panetierre.

Okay, then I'm confused about the girls,too. Was the young blond who sang the song with the guy in the bar at the end of the show the same girl who is played by Hayden Panetierre?

[twickster]

No, I misunderstood your question. The two young girls.

No, not confusing -- slightly different hair color (the "other" girl's is a whiter blonde), and different vibe (the "other" girl is not an evil backstabbing bitch .... yet).

[Skammer]

So the other blonde - who works at the Bluebird - is dating Jayna's cousin or nephew? But that's not the guy she was singing with at the end. Do I have that part right?

[lisacurl]

The non-evil young blonde (Scarlett) is Deacon's niece.
Deacon is Connie Britton/Rayna's former lover/lead guitarist/bandleader who was being seduced by Hayden Panettiere at the end.
Scarlett is not dating anyone related to Rayna. She is dating some "songwriter" who is probably dating her because of her uncle. The guy she was singing with at the end is Gunnar, who some up-and-coming guitarist somehow employed at the Bluebird, but not related to anyone.

[Helena330]

My newest guilty pleasure. I think they tried to pack a lot into the first episode because they wanted to hit the ground running. The way things get cancelled these days a show has to grab the audience from the start. Looks like it worked.

I hope they round out Powers Booth's character a little better or it will be a waste of an amazing actor.

[Skammer]

Originally Posted by lisacurl

The non-evil young blonde (Scarlett) is Deacon's niece.
Deacon is Connie Britton/Rayna's former lover/lead guitarist/bandleader who was being seduced by Hayden Panettiere at the end.
Scarlett is not dating anyone related to Rayna. She is dating some "songwriter" who is probably dating her because of her uncle. The guy she was singing with at the end is Gunnar, who some up-and-coming guitarist somehow employed at the Bluebird, but not related to anyone.

You're way better at this than I am.

[Just Ed]

Originally Posted by twickster

Was he the one who kissed Juliette when she was crying in the bathroom? And was he the one who showed up in the rain when Juliette was seducing the guitarist?

Great little summary by lisacurl; didn't see this addressed directly, so - Yes and yes.

And you can add me to the list of guys who had some difficulty at first distinguishing between Randy (producer, friend of Rayna (Connie) and now producing/presumably bedding Juliette (Hayden)) and Deacon (Rayna's guitarist/bandleader/possible baby-daddy who's also a songwriter and also presumably bedding Juliette).

• Deacon is the one Juliette gushed over when she passed him backstage at the Opry; she made her play for him after she saw him perform at the Bluebird. Is being seduced by Juliette, but may (or may not) be going ahead with eyes open (love the exchange: "You're a girl." "That too.")
• Randy is the one who was in Rayna's initial meeting with the record company execs backstage, talked about the three songs Rayna rejected, and jokes about auto-tune while recording Juliette. Has apparently been smitten by Juliette, though it remains to be seen how he'll handle her summary rejection of him at her door. In the rain.

[Just Ed]

OK, so I've got too much time on my hands. Here's a rundown of the major characters (names from IMDb).

Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton): Middle-aged country star with a long career entering apparent decline in the new digital music era. Is proud her past success helped build up her record company (Edgehill Republic) and dismayed they will not now support her under-performing album and under-selling tour unless she agrees to scrap her own tour and instead open ("co-headline") for their up-and-coming starlet (Juliette). Has money troubles apparently due in part to her husband's (Teddy Conrad) difficulties in the mortgage mess, but will not accept any help from her scheming daddy (Lamar Wyatt). Has a romantic history with her guitarist (Deacon Claybourne), who may be the father of one of her children. Daddy's scheming forced her to abandon support for her preferred mayoral candidate (and presumed family friend) Coleman Carlisle in favor of her husband.

Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere): Manipulative, bitchy, auto-tuned young singer who has no compunction using people, not to mention her own body, to get what she wants. Overhears Rayna refer to her music as adolescent crap that sounds like feral cats. The record company loves her because she's selling out arenas and stadiums across the country on her current tour, and would like Rayna to piggy-back on that tour. Mom is some kind of addict (meth?), and Juliette has all the attendant Mommy issues; would like to distance herself, but Mom apparently keeps finding her phone number.

Deacon Claybourne (Charles Esten): Rayna's lead guitarist and bandleader. May be the father of one of her children. Is also a respected songwriter, though Rayna has never recorded one of his (because she felt they were about her). Seems to be world-weary and self-aware, but apparently succumbs to Juliette's charms, at least superficially. Juliette has offered him a job as her guitarist/bandleader.

Teddy Conrad (Eric Close): Mr. Rayna Jaymes. Apparently lost his shirt when the mortgage bubble burst. Is manipulated by Rayna's daddy into running for mayor, and harbors some little resentment at being on the sidelines of Rayna's success. Remains to be seen if he will be a tool of Lamar's or have his own opinions.

Scarlett O'Connor (Clare Bowen): Deacon's neice; waitress at The Bluebird Cafe and poet/nascent songwriter. Big fan of Rayna Jaymes. Dating Avery, who she believes to be "the one" but writes heartbreaking poems about their relationship.

Avery Barkley (Jonathan Jackson): Scarlett's boyfriend, musician wannabe fronting an "alt/country/punk" band looking for a break. (Deacon: "You know around here 'punk' is code for 'can't play at all'?")

Gunnar Scott (Sam Palladio): Another Bluebird staffer and singer/guitarist; holds a torch for Scarlett and convinces her to put one of her poems to music. Deacon tells him he has real talent.

Coleman Carlisle (Robert Wisdom): Mayoral candidate opposing Teddy Conrad and apparent family friend (Teddy tells Lamar he'll run, but doesn't want to slam Coleman in the process). Had Rayna's support until her husband was pushed into the race by Daddy.

Lamar Wyatt (Powers Boothe): Rayna's daddy, wealthy man of means and local power broker (we first meet him as the current mayor is declaring "Lamar Wyatt Day"). Pushes Teddy into mayoral race in order to have a puppet in office to approve his plans to build a stadium in the city, and had more to do with Rayna's early success than she knew or would like to believe.

Tandy Wyatt (Judith Hoag): Rayna's sister and right-hand-person of their father. Rayna seems to have little respect for her as Daddy's protegé (though she does show up for "Lamar Wyatt Day" at Tandy's request). May or may not be person with her own viewpoint and power; unclear exactly what her position in Daddy's company is.

Randy Roberts (Burgess Jenkins): Record producer working with both Rayna and Juliette. Apparently has somewhat of a womanizing past and so is easy fodder for Juliette. Is apparently more into Juliette than she is into him. Does seem to have some know-how in the business.

Watty White (JD Souther): "Legendary producer and songwriter", apparent some time radio show host, and friend of Rayna Jaymes. Music biz realist who thinks Juliette will be around for a while. "Discovers" Scarlett and Gunnar singing in the Bluebird and calls Rayna with "an idea."

[randwill]

I feel like there was already a season of this that I missed and I should go back and watch it before I dive into this one.

Thanks for the break-down Just Ed. I would have sworn that at least two of the male leads were played by the same actor.

[amarinth]

I think this might be the only new show that I'll be sticking with this year.

Mrs. Coach & Cy Tolliver (even though he is chewing scenery) are great. And that final song was really good.

[Moonlitherial]

Thank you so much Just Ed that was just what I needed. Mark me down as another woman who lost track of which guy was which a few times.

The young blondes are easy, partly because I know Hayden by sight and partly because their personalities are so diametrically opposed.

[UncleRojelio]

I liked it better when it was called Dallas.

[twickster]

Originally Posted by Just Ed

Deacon Claybourne (Charles Esten): Rayna's lead guitarist and bandleader. May be the father of one of her children. Is also a respected songwriter, though Rayna has never recorded one of his (because she felt they were about her). Seems to be world-weary and self-aware, but apparently succumbs to Juliette's charms, at least superficially. Juliette has offered him a job as her guitarist/bandleader.

I was just rereading this (and let me add to the chorus of thanks, Just Ed -- great cheat sheet!) and was struck by the actor's name.

Do you know who this is!?!?!?!

Chip Esten who used to appear on Whose Line fairly regularly!

Mind. Blown.

[Skammer]

Originally Posted by UncleRojelio

I liked it better when it was called Dallas.

You mean back in post #11?

[Just Ed]

Glad you guys liked the write-up.

Originally Posted by twickster

Do you know who this is!?!?!?!

Chip Esten who used to appear on Whose Line fairly regularly!

Mind. Blown.

Huh. Somehow I never caught Whose Line regularly, but the pictures on IMDb do spur some vague memories. Is it me or does he appear to have aged considerably? Maybe it's just the stubble/slightly unkempt look of Deacon? Either way, he did a very good job with the character in the pilot.

[Kimballkid]

Originally Posted by twickster

I was just rereading this (and let me add to the chorus of thanks, Just Ed -- great cheat sheet!) and was struck by the actor's name.

Do you know who this is!?!?!?!

Chip Esten who used to appear on Whose Line fairly regularly!

Mind. Blown.

It kind of stands to reason as he seemed to be the one they used a lot to sing with Wayne Brady for the made up songs. So they knew he could carry a tune a little bit.

Sounds like I may have to start watching this show.

Were the Grand Ole Opry scenes at the now Grand Ole Opry or the original Grand Ole Opry (ie: the Ryman Auditorium)?

[twickster]

Originally Posted by Just Ed

Glad you guys liked the write-up. Huh. Somehow I never caught Whose Line regularly, but the pictures on IMDb do spur some vague memories. Is it me or does he appear to have aged considerably? Maybe it's just the stubble/slightly unkempt look of Deacon? Either way, he did a very good job with the character in the pilot.

No, agree, I wouldn't have figured it out based on looks -- on Whose Line he was a really babyface -- but you can see the resemblance in this pic, if you squint.

Huh. Guess he's a real, yanno, actor.

[ecoaster]

Connie Britton, will you marry me?

That is all.

[Just Ed]

Originally Posted by Kimballkid

Were the Grand Ole Opry scenes at the now Grand Ole Opry or the original Grand Ole Opry (ie: the Ryman Auditorium)?

Apparently they're at the new Opry House (not the Ryman), where the weekly radio shows take place. ABC has set up a blog for Steve Buchanan (Executive Producer of Nashville and President, Grand Ole Opry Group) and his initial entry is a rundown of the pilot and the Nashville environs: Music City Blog. They seem to be devoting quite a bit of online resources to the show, with a few extras (Nashville On the Record features a bit on that great final song, "If I Didn't Know Better").

[DMark]

Originally Posted by DMark

I pretty much loathe country music, but did read a review that said I would still like this show anyway.

I have it on DVR and will try to see it tonight or tomorrow - glad to hear it has started off promising.

OK, so we got around to seeing it last night.

With the political angle thrown in, you could call this The Good Wife...Country Lite.

It was decent and we will watch a few more, but certainly does seem to be setting up every cliche soap opera story...then again, nothing inherently wrong about that either.

[lisacurl]

Originally Posted by twickster

I was just rereading this (and let me add to the chorus of thanks, Just Ed -- great cheat sheet!) and was struck by the actor's name.

Do you know who this is!?!?!?!

Chip Esten who used to appear on Whose Line fairly regularly!

Mind. Blown.

Hey! It's that guy!

[wombattver]

Just Ed - thanks for the rundown. I thought Deacon and Randy were the same guy most of the time! Which one was kissing Juliette in the broom closet?! There seems to be an abundance of milquetoast-y white guys to mix up.

[Just Ed]

Originally Posted by wombattver

Just Ed - thanks for the rundown. I thought Deacon and Randy were the same guy most of the time! Which one was kissing Juliette in the broom closet?! There seems to be an abundance of milquetoast-y white guys to mix up.

You're welcome!

I think the Deacon/Randy thing was common with a lot of us on first viewing. Randy is the (aptly-named) producer who was in Rayna's first meeting with the record company guys, and is subsequently shown recording Juliette in the studio. He's the one who was kissing Juliette in the broom closet after she was upset by her mother's phone call (apparently she was supposed to be recording another song at that time). Randy is also the one who was with Juliette unbeknownst to Rayna when Rayna went to his place to ask about recording the additional songs (the scene where Juliette is shown upstairs in Randy's bed when Rayna compares Juliette's music to the screeching of feral cats).

Deacon is Rayna's guitarist, former love interest, and possible baby-daddy whose niece is Scarlett, the waitress at the Bluebird, and who is also being courted by Juliette. It's Deacon who is on the couch at Juliette's place when Randy shows up unannounced and is turned away in the rain. (When Deacon tells Rayna she offered him a job, she says, "She's got Randy doing her record, she wants you in her band, what's she coming for my house next?")

[Alley Dweller]

Thank-you lisacurl and Just Ed for the character run downs!

By the way, ABC is really good about posting the names of songs that are in all of their shows. Their ABC Music Lounge web site has the set list for almost every episode of every show. They also have a pretty good streaming radio station on the site.

The list for Nashville is here. Most of the songs are even available on iTunes.

[Misnomer]

I really liked this pilot, but I may have been a little predisposed to: I like both Connie Britton and Hayden Panetierre, and I'm also a singer so I like the music industry backdrop. I don't usually go for soap opera shows, but this has the makings of a good one and I'm looking forward to the next episode.

I will say, though, that I'm surprised by all of the confusion in this thread: I didn't find the characters/story hard to differentiate/follow at all.

[twickster]

Originally Posted by Misnomer

I didn't find the characters/story hard to differentiate/follow at all.

Very limited confusion here -- all in all, the premiere was textbook of how to introduce a multi-character drama effectively -- but the two guys Juliette is seducing at the moment are both kind of generic good-looking-but-not-droolworthy-dudes-of-a-certain-age.

[Misnomer]

Originally Posted by twickster

Very limited confusion here -- all in all, the premiere was textbook of how to introduce a multi-character drama effectively -- but the two guys Juliette is seducing at the moment are both kind of generic good-looking-but-not-droolworthy-dudes-of-a-certain-age.

I guess I just found them to look different enough that I had zero trouble keeping them straight.

[twickster]

Now that I know one of them is a former Whose Liner, I'm sure I'll have no further problems.