Why did ‘Nashville’ kill Rayna?
Q: Why did they kill Rayna James on “Nashville”?
A: There have been a lot of Nashville letters lately. Some viewers missed the music drama’s move from ABC to CMT. One reader lamented her program service charging more for CMT than for ABC – even though the CMT deal is what kept the show going. Another worried that the show had gone missing; in fact, the March 9 episode was a “midseason finale” and Nashville will be back after a break.
But most of the notes have had to do with the death of Rayna, played by Connie Britton, since for many viewers, she was the center of the show.
Britton wanted to leave. In an interview with TVLine. com, she said vaguely “there were lots of different reasons” without getting too specific. She did say some of her decision was personal, and that she may have accomplished all she could playing Rayna. As for why the show killed off Rayna, Britton thought that was the only logical course: “She would never leave her family. She would never leave her kids. She would never leave Deacon. So there really wasn’t any alternative.”
Looking ahead, Britton told TVLine she planned to rest some, although “there are a couple of film things coming up that I’m excited about. In terms of TV, I’m very open to whatever comes around. But moving forward, I like the idea of maybe starting something from the beginning and being really at the ground level in terms of development and creation. To me, that would be very exciting.”
But speaking of TV and death …
Q: I was thinking about Bill Paxton and started wondering what other stars have passed away while starring in a TV series. I remembered Redd Foxx. What about Larry Hagman?
A: Redd Foxx did indeed die while making the sitcom “The Royal Family.” Hagman died during the making of the “Dallas” reboot for TNT. And, besides “Training Day” star Paxton, this season saw the passing of Miguel Ferrer of “NCIS: Los Angeles.”
Other stars who have died during their shows’ run include John Spencer (“The West Wing”), John Ritter (“8 Simple Rules”), Nancy Marchand (“The Sopranos”), Nicholas Colasanto (“Cheers”), Cory Monteith (“Glee”), Freddie Prinze (“Chico and the Man”), Dan Blocker (“Bonanza”), Jon-Erik Hexum (“Cover Up”), Phil Hartman (“NewsRadio”), and Will Lee, who played Mr. Hooper on “Sesame Street.”
Author Douglas Snauffer even wrote a 2008 book about the subject, “The Show Must Go On: How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television Series.”
Q: Can you please advise what has happened and what any plans are for the show “Pure Genius”? My wife and I enjoyed it very much.
A: CBS has aired all 13 episodes it ordered of the series, and did not order more even as it added to the episode count for some other new shows. That was a bad sign. Deadline.com said the medical drama was not “formally canceled and theoretically remains in contention for a Season 2 renewal though its chances are considered slim at best.”