Entertainment News - Nashville

Nashville star staying at ABC — exclusive

BY LYNETTE RICE • @LYNETTERICE


(Mark Levine/ABC via Getty Images)

Nashville

It was clear when CMT picked up Nashville that not everyone would join the show on its new network. Now it’s confirmed that one of its high-profile stars has decided to stay put at ABC.

EW has learned exclusively that Will Chase, who played Luke Wheeler on Nashville, has joined the new ABC drama Time After Time as a series regular. Chase will play Griffin, who is described as an ambitious and charismatic war veteran vying to be New York’s next state senator.

Here’s the official description from ABC: “As boyfriend to billionaire Vanessa Anders, he’s also one half of Manhattan’s most talked about power couple. But when a mysterious man in the form of H.G. Wells suddenly becomes a major distraction in Vanessa’s life, Griffin finds his relationship with her strained and his patience tested.”


Image Credit: Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage

Starring Freddie Stroma (Harry Potter films, UnREAL) as H.G. Wells, Time After Time follows the famed science-fiction writer as he’s transported to modern day Manhattan in pursuit of Jack the Ripper (played by Revenge’s Josh Bowman). The drama is from Kevin Williamson (The Vampire Diaries, Scream franchise) and also stars Genesis Rodriguez (Big Hero 6) as Jane, and Regina Taylor (Dig) as Vanessa Anders.

The drama is expected to bow midseason on ABC.

When CMT picked up the fifth season of Nashville, it became clear that not all of the stars would make the trek to cable. Hayden Panettiere and Connie Britton are confirmed to return, as is Charles Esten, Lennon and Maisy Stella, Chris Carmack, and Jonathan Jackson. While Esten reportedly told fans at the Grand Ole Opry recently that Nashville will premiere in December, a CMT spokesperson tells EW that no date has been set.

Chase has kept busy since Nashville wrapped its fourth sesaon. He is currently filming The Deuce for HBO, a David Simon drama set in the ’70s that chronicles the New York City porn scene.