ABC cancels country music drama ‘Nashville’ after 4 seasons

LOS ANGELES – The song is over for the country music drama “Nashville” after four seasons.

ABC said Thursday it’s cancelling the show, along with crime romp “Castle” and puppet comedy “The Muppets.”

More goners: “Galavant,” ”Blood & Oil,” ”The Family” and “Agent Carter.”

The cancellations follow a recent shakeup in the network’s executive ranks, with ABC Entertainment Group President Paul Lee replaced by Channing Dungey.

The decision to end “Nashville” drew an immediate lament from the city’s mayor, Megan Barry, who called the loss of the series filmed in her town a disappointment.

“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,” Barry said.

“Nashville” has three episodes left to air, with the finale, titled “Maybe You’ll Appreciate Me,” set for May 25. Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere star as country music divas.

Although the ratings for “Nashville” were soft, ABC used it as the launching pad for soundtracks and TV specials.

Two other cancelled shows, “Castle” and “The Muppets,” had very different track records at ABC.

“Castle,” which debuted in 2009, was still a reliable ratings performer. It was announced last month that co-star Stana Katic was exiting, but Nathan Fillion, who plays Castle, had tweeted that he hoped the show would continue for years despite her departure.

When it came to freshman series “The Muppets,” a wealth of long-time affection for Miss Piggy and its other characters failed to translate into viewership.