The Nashville crew actually filmed another (and much happier) ending for Season 4, but they went with the cliffhanger in the hopes that the show would be renewed.
The final moments of Season 4 revealed to Avery that Juliette’s plane had sent out a distress signal and then disappeared.
They got their extra season, and we’ll get to see just what happened to Juliette at the end of Season 4.
Luckily, Hayden Panettiere and Jonathan Jackson will be reprising their roles as Juliette and Avery, so we don’t have to worry that Season 5 won’t resolve the killer cliffhanger.