'Nashville' season 5 air date news, spoilers: First trailer released; new season to premiere early

As a Christmas gift for fans, CMT has announced that season 5 of "Nashville" will premiere earlier than expected. Alongside the announcement, the network also unveiled the first full trailer which gives a sneak peek at the upcoming season of the drama series.

CMT revealed that the first hour of the two-hour season 5 premiere will air on Thursday, Dec. 15, at 9 p.m. EST. The episode will also be made available on Hulu.

With fans eagerly anticipating the return of the series, the earlier release of the first episode will surely whet their appetites while waiting for the two-hour premiere on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017. Many changes can be expected as "Nashville" makes the move from its original network, ABC, to its new home on CMT.

According to the press release, "The season begins with Rayna [Connie Britton] and Deacon [Charles Esten] facing a new normal with Maddie [Lennon Stella] now back home and Highway 65 struggling financially." In the trailer, Rayna and Deacon are seen working on an album, while Maddie seemingly gains a new love interest in the upcoming season.

The first trailer for the new season also teased the fate of Juliette (Hayden Panettiere). It can be recalled that in the final moments of season 4, her plane had sent out a distress call before losing contact with air traffic control.

While new showrunner Marshall Herskovitz has already confirmed that Juliette is alive, news of her plane's disappearance will still send shock waves throughout Nashville. This also propels Rayna to begin a journey of discovery.

"That cliffhanger affects other people in the story — when something like that happens, it's a big event for everybody. There are ripples that go out from this event that affect other people in the show. It's a pretty great story," Herskovitz told Entertainment Weekly.

Apart from the resolution of the cliffhanger, "Nashville" season 5 will also introduce new characters and different kinds of music.