'Nashville' season 5 spoilers: Juliette embarks on a spiritual quest; EP teases 'great story line' for Will

A "great story line" is up ahead for Will Lexington (Chris Carmack) when "Nashville" season 5 officially premieres next year.

After it was revealed that Will was attracted to men, his storylines tended to focus on that fact alone. Will became a part of a sham marriage and had relationships with different guys before coming out to his friends. He also stood up against his disapproving parents and fought to find a label willing to work with an openly gay country musician.

Speaking with TV Line, executive producer Marshall Herskovitz teased that the conflicted artist will have an interesting arc this season because he will just be a character like everyone else. "We're very sensitive to the fact that Will is a human being first, a musician second. He's not defined by his sexuality, just like no one else is defined by their sexuality," the EP explained.

On another note, Thursday's sneak preview of "Nashville" finally answered the major cliffhanger about Juliette's (Hayden Panettiere) fate when her plane crashed at the end of season 4. The fictional pop star miraculously survived, but her injuries made her legs paralyzed. Aside from being emotionally traumatized, Juliette must now deal with her new reality physically.

"I think it'll be quite surprising for people and yet, really dramatic to the magnitude to this event that takes place in her life," Herskovitz added. "... Without speaking directly to what the story is going to be, Juliette is definitely on a journey and we're going to see real changes in her life," the EP went on to say.

New characters to be introduced this coming season include Bridgit Mendler as a YouTube celebrity named Ashley, Joseph David-Jones as a musician named Clay, and Jen Richards as a physical therapist named Allyson.

"Nashville" season 5 premieres on Thursday, Jan. 5, at 9 p.m. ET on CMT.