Rachel Bilson (The O.C., Hart of Dixie) and Kaitlin Doubleday (Empire) are joining the cast of CMT's Nashville. The news was revealed directly to the fans on social media by CMT, Bilson and Doubleday in recognition of the Nashies' unwavering support of the series, which just aired its midseason finale. "We welcome Rachel and Kaitlin into our incredibly talented ensemble," said Marshall Herskovitz, executive producer and showrunner. "We fondly anticipate the second half of the season filled with surprising twists and turns that make Nashville so beloved by the fans."
The news comes on the heels of record ratings. Last week's emotional episode entitled "I'll Fly Away," hit new season highs on CMT with A18-49 (1.02), W18-49 (1.39), M18-49 (.64), Total Viewers (2.2M), A25-54 (1.27) and W25-54 (1.75). The show broke records as the highest rated Original Series telecast in CMT History with A18-49, W18-49, A25-54 and W25-54 and was the most watched among P2+. Overall on CMT, original premieres are pacing up 46% among A 18-49 and 73% among W 18-49 versus year ago. Total day ratings are up 27% with A 18-49 and 31% with W 18-49.
Rachel Bilson was most recently seen as Dr. Zoe Hart in The CW's series Hart of Dixie, a fish-out-of-water story about a New York City doctor adjusting to life in a small Southern town after she inherits a local medical practice. Her film credits include The To Do List, Waiting for Forever, Jumper, L!fe Happens The Last Kiss, and New York, I Love You. She also appeared twice as a guest star on the television series How I Met Your Mother, as well as Josh Schwartz's Chuck. Bilson also became an integral part of pop culture due to her series regular role on the very popular television show The O.C. for four seasons.
Kaitlin Doubleday gained worldwide recognition portraying Rhonda Lyon on the megahit Empire. At age 17, she made her film debut opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can. Other notable screen credits include the cult classic Waiting, opposite Ryan Reynolds and Anna Farris; The TV Set, a satire about the entertainment business starring David Duchovny; and Accepted, opposite Jonah Hill and Justin Long.
Additionally, CMT released a first look teaser for forthcoming episodes. Check it out below.