ABC cancels Nashville amid Hayden Panettiere's return to treatment for postpartum depression

A double blow has occurred for fans of Guiding Light alum Hayden Panettiere (ex-Lizzie Spaulding): ABC has cancelled her series, Nashville, and the actress announced she's returning to treatment for postpartum depression.

The entertainment world was rocked this week when ABC decided not to renew its popular series Nashville for a fifth season. And the news was all the more devastating for fans of the country music drama because it came along with star Hayden Pannettiere's (ex-Lizzie Spaulding, Guiding Light) announcement that she's checking herself back into treatment for postpartum depression.

The former soap star took to Twitter to share with fans that despite seeking treatment for the condition following the birth of her baby late last year, she's still been struggling. "The postpartum depression I have been experiencing has impacted every aspect of my life," she wrote. "Rather than stay stuck due to unhealthy coping mechanisms, I have chosen to take time to reflect holistically on my health and life. Wish me luck!"

Panettiere starred as GL's Lizzie from 1998 to 2000, after which she went on to star in several television series (Ally McBeal, Malcolm In The Middle, Heroes, and more) before landing the role of Nashville's character Juliette opposite General Hospital's Jonathan Jackson (ex-Lucky Spencer) and actress Connie Britton in 2012.

Says real-life Nashville mayor Morgan Barry in a statement: "We are incredibly disappointed to hear the news that ABC has not renewed the show Nashville for another season. The show has been an enormously successful promotional tool for our city, which is why the state of Tennessee and Metro Nashville were prepared to support production for a fifth season to be filmed here. This is a loss for ABC and for the millions of fans across the world who have grown to love this show. We have enjoyed hosting the cast and crew of the show over the last four years and look forward to future opportunities for film and television production here in Nashville."

There is chatter that Nashville could be shopped to a new network, despite it being an ABC Studios production. It's unclear if those whispers are wishful thinking or something that could be grounded in reality.

In other news, ABC also decided to pull the plug on Castle, which stars One Life to Live's Nathan Fillion (ex-Joey Buchanan). Both cancellations come after ABC's new president, Channing Dungey was said to be working to phase out the network's "soapy serials."

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UPDATE:Channing Dungey has offered comments on why Castle and Nashville were yanked from ABC's lineup. To read those statements, click here.

What do you think about Panettiere checking herself back into treatment? Would you like to leave good wishes for the star? How disappointed are you that ABC decided to cancel Nashville? Do you hope this means Jonathan Jackson might return to GH? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.

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