What’s Worth Watching: ‘Nashville’ on ABC for Wednesday, November 11

Nashville, “Can’t Get Used to Losing You” (Wednesday, Nov. 11, 10/9c, ABC)

I usually enjoy the harmonies of Nashville more than the histrionics, especially during this lugubrious season. But in the most recent episode that aired before the CMA Awards pre-emption, the show pulled out all the stops, including a last-second shocker that would have done Empire proud. There was a distraught Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) on the precipice, boozed to the self-pitying gills and teetering on a hotel ledge, ready to take her swan dive into immortality. Enter bad-boy manager/would-be mogul Jeff Fordham (Oliver Hudson), for the last few seasons Nashville‘s go-to hissable villain, trying to redeem himself with a heroic gesture to save Juliette from her worst self. He stops her from falling, but loses his balance and goes over the edge while Nashville goes over the top. Bye, Jeff. Been nice hatin’ ya.

As the promo blares for this week’s episode (directed by former series regular Eric Close), Nashville‘s answer to tragedy will be to “Cover it up!” Thus we’ll get to see Juliette in full denial mode that she had anything to do with it, which is likely to directly contradict the eyewitness account of a similarly tipsy Colt (Keann Johnson), son of superstar Luke Wheeler (Will Chase). Ah, Juliette. So reliably wrong in all things—perhaps giving the character one last aria of woe before the actress retreats into her own recovery for post-partum depression (unnervingly echoing Juliette’s storyline). Meanwhile, Rayna is not about to champion barely-recovering-alcoholic Deacon’s bright idea of running a bar. Although if it puts a smile on this gloomy Gus’s face, I’d drink to that.