Connie Britton Has Exited Nashville — So Here Are Some Potential Gigs She Can Tackle Next

Let's just say Thursday night's Nashville took a turn for the shocking when Rayna Jaymes' fate was finally revealed. Following a car crash earlier this season, she died just this week, leaving Connie Britton, who has played the fictional country music superstar for the last five seasons unemployed. Connie told The Hollywood Reporter that leaving the beloved series behind "was my decision," not that an explanation like that will make it any easier for fans of the series, we're sure.

The Daily Dish caught up with Connie several weeks back where she opened up about the show's devoted fans — never hinting that she'd soon be leaving the series behind.

"Well, we wouldn't be here if it weren't for the fans," she shared, crediting the viewers for helping to revive the show after it was canceled by ABC last season before finding new life on CMT. "We would not have a Season 5 if it weren't for the fans so we owe [them]... We owe everything to our fans and we don't forget that for one second ever."

Connie played it incredibly coy when asked if she'd be down for a Season 6, even as rumors were circulating that she was putting her name out there for the upcoming pilot season. "You know what? We'll see. Who knows?" she said. "Well wait and see what happens. You take it one day at a time when it's TV and you enjoy it."

Rayna has gone to the TV heaven up in the sky, but it's certainly not the first time that things have gotten precarious for the character. In fact, she's actually survived a car crash in the past. "I've endured a lot of crazy stuff on Nashville. For me, it's still probably goes back to the coma to having a car accident and waking up in a coma and recovering from that coma really quickly," she recalled about the Season 3 plot point. "That was pretty crazy."

While fans are mourning the loss of Rayna, Connie has long played beloved small-screen personas, most notably Tami Taylor on Friday Night Lights. She admits she's a lucky lady to have had the chance to win over viewers as frequently as she does. "I just think I'm very fortunate," she said. "I have been incredibly fortunate in my career to play wonderful roles and I don't underestimate that, particularly as a woman particularly working in television. It's really gratifying and rewarding to get to play roles where I get to play really complex women and women that I hope are reflective of real women in the world."

Speaking of Tami, Connie admits she most sees herself in that role — even if she's pretty sure she won't get the chance to revive her anytime soon. "There's always a part of me in every character that I play, [but] probably Tami Taylor. But there's a lot of me in Rayna Jaymes too. But Rayna James' life is just a little more crazy than mine," she said. "I would definitely do [a Friday Night Lights reboot]. I don't think it's gonna happen, but I would definitely do it. Look, those hopes have been dashed. Let's be real."

What is a real possibility is the chance that Connie may return to the American Horror Story universe. She starred in the show's freshman season and creator Ryan Murphy has teased that he'd like to do a season that would bring the worlds of Murder House and Coven together for a future crossover season. "I haven't really been paying very much attention because I haven't been available, but I love Ryan. I love American Horror Story," she said. "I was very fortunate to be able to do American Crime Story with the O.J. Simpson project with them during my hiatus, so I am always a huge fan."

Here's to hoping we just found Connie's next project. But in the meantime, let's never forget Rayna Jaymes, OK?