Tanya Rosen-Jones
Rhiannon Giddens is a co-founder of the group Carolina Chocolate Drops.
Nashville is adding another impressive musical talent to its lineup for season five.
Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens, co-founder of the string band Carolina Chocolate Drops, has landed a recurring role on the country music drama, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Giddens will play Hanna Lee "Hallie" Jordan, a young social worker who turns out to have the voice of an angel. She is currently slated to appear in three episodes of the series' fifth season, with the possibility open for more. She will make her debut in the fifth season premiere, titled “The Wayfaring Stranger," which will be directed by series creator Callie Khouri.
A country and blues musician, Giddens' other acting credits include Nurse Jackie and on Parenthood as herself. The news comes on the same day of Nashville's first table read for season five.
The upcoming fifth season will mark Nashville's first with new showrunners Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz (thirtysomething) and the first at CMT. The country music drama, which drew a small but loyal viewership at ABC for its first four seasons, was canceled in May. A month later, CMT and Hulu teamed up to bring back the Lionsgate and ABC Studios co-production for a 22-episode fifth season.
As part of the pact, Hulu will stream new episodes the day after they air on CMT. The fifth season is slated to kick off on Thursday, Jan. 5 with a two-hour premiere.
The addition of Giddens comes as Nashville says goodbye to two former series regulars: Will Chase and Aubrey Peeples. The future also remains unclear for star and producer Connie Britton, who is currently eyeing a reduced role in the upcoming season.
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