List of ''Nashville'' cast members

Connie Britton in 2014 (plays Rayna Jaymes)

Rayna Jaymes is a nine-time Grammy Award–winner and fifteen-time CMA Award–nominee, is the daughter of the late Virginia Wyatt and her husband, politician Lamar Wyatt. She grew up in a wealthy family whose father is Lamar Wyatt, former mayor of Nashville. Her mom died when she was 12. She and her father are estranged for a long time. She loves country music, but her father never approved of it and kicked her out of the house at 16. Early in her career she dated songwriter and guitar player Deacon Claybourne, who is an alcoholic. Soon after Rayna sent Deacon to rehab (which would be his last time), she married Teddy Conrad. The couple had two daughters, Maddie and Daphne. Teddy is not Maddie's biological father, and there are hints that it may be Deacon—which is revealed to be true later in season one, she marries Deacon in season four.

Hayden Panettiere in 2009 (plays Juliette Barnes)

Juliette Barnes originally from Alabama, was discovered singing at a country fair by her manager, Glenn Goodman, who believed he could turn her into one of America's biggest country stars. Juliette, being young, beautiful and ambitious, had no qualms about leaving her dysfunctional home life and her drug-addicted mother behind. She quickly rose to become Edgehill Republic Records biggest star, a pop-country sensation, with legions of young teenage fans and sell out tours. Despite Juliette's singing talent being questioned by several characters, including Rayna Jaymes, she shows not only raw talent but has also proven herself to be a capable songwriter and works with talented musicians such as Deacon Clayborne and Avery Barkley. Juliette and Rayna, however, have two things in common, both of them had bad parents and both of them left home when they were 16 to become famous country music stars. Juliette is initially played as a demanding, arrogant diva, but there is another side to her. The main reason why she was the main antagonist in the series. She is a girl who has fought for everything she has and is prepared to do anything to get to the top. However, her hard exterior shields a world of pain that she rarely lets people see. She has no friends, no-one she can truly turn to, and she has seen the worst of people growing up, which has left her unable to connect with people emotionally. As a result, she shows a desperate desire to be loved by anyone who shows her the slightest bit of affection, such as when she falls in love with her mother's drug counselor.

Scarlett O'Connor is a poet and songwriter. She is also Deacon's niece, and musician partner with Gunnar (they later perform as The Exes). Introduced, she is dating Avery Barkley. She befriends Bluebird soundboard engineer Gunnar Scott who suggests putting her poetry to music. This leads to them being noticed by Rayna Jaymes who wants them to embark on a music career as a duo. The two also pursue a romantic relationship after she splits from Avery but she calls it off after rejecting his marriage proposal. When her best friend Zoey Dalton arrives in town and starts waitressing at the Bluebird she befriends Gunnar and the two start dating. Scarlett becomes jealous of their relationship and refuses to talk to Zoey. She continues on singing as a soloist and has a short relationship with producer Liam McGuinnis, who also supplies her with prescription medication to help combat tiredness when he has her working all night to get songs out of her. Rayna tells him to break off the relationship when she catches them kissing and Liam departs for Tokyo, leaving Scarlett devastated. Her is verbally abusive to her daughter since the latter is a big success and Beverly never got the chance. Scarlett eventually has a breakdown on stage and is hospitalized with severe depression. After she is released, Rayna agrees to let her go from her contract.

After Zoey breaks up with Gunnar since she thinks he still has feelings for Scarlett, the latter takes her place in the band she formed with Gunnar and Avery and their name is changed to the Triple X's. Following the birth of his daughter, Avery departs the band and Gunnar and Scarlett continue on as a duo. Gunnar also falls for a technician called Erin and has a short fling with her as well as singer Autumn Chase while Scarlett realizes she is still in love with Gunnar. They eventually get back together.

Their relationship lasts a few months until the arrival of Damien George, who has been hired to direct one of their music videos. Scarlett realizes she may have romantic feelings for him and breaks up with Gunnar again. She later discovers that she is pregnant but does not know who the father is. She requests a paternity test, which confirms that Gunnar is not the father of her baby.

Teddy Conrad is Rayna’s husband who, after a business failure, is now living on his wife’s income. He runs for mayor with help from his father-in-law and wins election, later divorcing Rayna. Teddy became mayor for four years and was arrested for Lamar's shady dealings in the past in the end of season 3 and the prison give him a three day pass to mourn his ex-wife and be their for her kids and will be released from prison in May 2017.

Avery Barkley began as an aspiring musician with a bad-boy streak. He and Scarlett are in a relationship when the series begins, but soon separate. In season two, he dates Juliette but breaks up with her after finding out that she cheated on him with Jeff Fordham. In season three, it is revealed that Avery is the father of Juliette's baby, and Avery and Juliette marry later in the season, but divorce in season four after Juliette abandons him. However, they reunited, and put their wedding rings on, but did not discuss their issues they had the past two seasons. Juliette survives a plane crash that leaves her as the sole survivor he takes care of her and their daughter, eventually asking if they are back together or not. Juliette is unsure about where their relationship is at that particular time. In season five, when he gets an offer to go out on tour he turns it down due to Juliette needing his help as she continues to recover.

Gunnar Scott is a kind-hearted aspiring musician who dates Scarlett in season one, and dates Zoey in season two. He faces an on, and off again relationship with Scareltt for the rest of the series.

In season one, Gunnar and Scarlett O'Connor both work at the Bluebird Café. He encourages her to turn some poems she's written into songs, and volunteers her to sing at an open mic night. She gets him to play with her on guitar. Watty White hears them singing and offers to cut a demo for them. He also calls Rayna Jaymes to give her a listen. Sometime later, when Rayna's aiming to start her own record label, she remembers, and has Scarlett and Gunnar invited to audition for her. However, Gunnar is grieving for his brother, Jason Scott, and doesn't make it to the audition. Scarlett auditions alone, with her banjo. Rayna leaves the audition early, but is impressed enough that Scarlett is offered a recording contract. However, she keeps the offer a secret from Gunnar, until their new upstairs neighbor, Will Lexington, hands them some mail that he says was misdirected. Will seems to be a good influence on Gunnar, getting him song-writing again. It is revealed that Will is gay, when he makes a move on Gunnar. Gunnar turns him down, but they remain friends and someone that Will can confide in, and who he can act himself around. Scarlett arranges for Gunnar to be given a chance to audition for Rayna, but he wants to sing a new type of music with Will, and wants time to figure out what kind of music he wants to play. He finds some lyrics written by his dead brother, Jason and, with some tips on performance from Will, Gunnar earns a business card from an agent, Jack Nelson, who offers to record a demo for him.

In the season one finale, Gunnar proposes to Scarlett but it is eventually revealed in season two that she turned it down and they break up. When her best friend Zoey Dalton shows up in town Gunnar and her start dating, which causes tension between the two best friends. Zoey starts to become jealous when Gunnar's ex-girlfriend Kiley shows up and she has a son named Micah, who she says is Gunnar's son. However, she later reveals that Jason raped her and Micah is actually his son. When Micah learns that Gunnar is not the father he wants to leave with his parents but the two eventually make amends.

In season three, Gunnar forms a new band with Zoey and Avery, called "ZAG" but Zoey ends up becoming jealous when Gunnar starts reconnecting with Scarlett and they split with her leaving town when she sees Scarlett onstage with Gunnar and Avery at the Nashville winter music festival. The trio are renamed "The Triple Exes".

After Avery departs the band following Juliette giving birth to their daughter and raising his daughter, Scarlett and Gunnar continue on as a duo called "The Exes". Gunnar and Scarlett, for a short time, reconnect during season four.

In season five, their relationship is tested once more by the arrival of music video director Damien George. After he challenges her to let herself go, she realizes she may have feelings for him and she breaks up from Gunnar again. She eventually finds out that she is pregnant but is not sure who the father is. Gunnar is revealed not to be the father, but he says he wants to be there for Scarlett anyway.

Coleman Carlisle is a one-time mayoral candidate, and later Deputy Mayor. He is a close friend of Rayna, and serves as Deacon's sobriety sponsor.

In Season 2, Coleman leaves Nashville, deciding to enjoy his life with his family.

Lamar Wyatt is Rayna's father and a wealthy, powerful, and controlling patriarch and local politician who disapproves of his daughter's career as a country singer. He dies of a heart attack while Teddy watches and does nothing.

In season one, it was revealed that Lamar’s wife died, leaving him a widow and single father to his two daughters, Rayna and Tandy. Tandy worked at his side and is the heir apparent to Lamar’s fortune and business empire. She was his top aid while in politics. Rayna and Lamar had a strained relationship.

In season two, Lamar was arrested when his shady business dealings caught up with him. Lamar planned an assassination attempt on Teddy, and weeks after returning home from jail, he died from a heart attack, and Teddy let him die.

He starts a relationship with talent show runner-up Layla Grant, which is merely a publicity stunt, but in spite of Gunnar's attempts to get him to confess his true sexuality to her he proposes to her instead, and they marry, while filming a reality TV show, Love & Country, Will unknowingly confesses that he is gay to Layla while the cameras are rolling, having been hidden in their private room. After she attempts to commit suicide he agrees to grant her a divorce but they remain close friends afterwards, after she blackmails him in season three. Will falls for songwriter Kevin Bicks and they have an on-off relationship when Will is still unsure about coming out since it could harm his fame. When his father visits he has to hide his true nature since his father is homophobic but when Will holds a press conference he finally has the courage to come out, in the season three finale, as he wants to be open and with Kevin. Although his father initially disowns his son they make up when Will's mother dies. He continually has to defend himself in the media and resumes his relationship with Kevin Bicks which ends once again when he does not want to move in with him, in season five, when the writers dumped Bicks in favor of a new character. He moves on when he meets Zach. They eventually start to date, but Zach may have ulterior motives.