Play it again, "Nashville."

CMT announced it is renewing the country music drama for a sixth season. It'll be shorter than previous seasons -- just 16 episodes.

A shorter season is more in line with cable network dramas, though. When CMT rescued "Nashville" after cancellation by ABC, it raised eyebrows by ordering 22 episodes.

Thus, Season 5 was split into two parts: The first part aired from January to March, while the second half will premiere Thursday, June 1 (teaser below)."The devoted Nashie fan base has generated record-breaking numbers for CMT," network president Brian Philips said. "'Nashville' ranks as the network's highest-rated and most-watched show in the network's history, averaging 2.1 million weekly viewers."

The first half of Season 5 saw a major change in the show's dynamic, when Connie Britton's country queen Rayna James was killed off. CMT had previously announced the addition of two new regulars, Rachel Bilson ("Hart of Dixie") and Kaitlin Doubleday ("Empire").

A third new face will be joining them -- Jeffrey Nordling is joining the cast as Brad Maitland, described as an "extremely successful, charming, egotistical, narcissistic owner of the most successful record label in Nashville."

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