Nashville-Set Drama Series ‘East Nasty’ in the Works at Freeform

A new musical show set in East Nashville is in the works at Freeform, according to a report from Deadline. Titled East Nasty, the country music drama has been put in development and comes from from writer Jamie Rosengard (Dare Me, Empire), Mixed-ish showrunner Karin Gist and 20th Century Fox TV.

“The show follows two best friends — one a black, queer singer-songwriter, and one a seemingly tailor-made country musician from a deeply religious family — struggling alongside other musical misfits for a place at the table,” the show’s news release reads. “Though they don’t fit the face or sound of conservative country music, they will fight to lend their unique voices to a genre steeped in tradition and history.”

East Nasty is inspired by the community of East Nashville, where an “antiestablishment, vibrant music scene is pushing to redefine what country music looks and sounds like.”

Rosengard will write and executive produce with Gist and her producing partner Claire Brown. Ginger Sledge (Where’d You Go, Bernadette) and Paula Kay Hornick will also serve executive producers on the project.

The show will likely have a different tone than previous Music City-set project Nashville, which aired on ABC for four seasons, and then on CMT for two more seasons before ending in 2018. That series starred Connie Britton as country music star Rayna Jaymes, who at the series’ start was tasked with keeping her crown amid competition from country-pop starlet Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere).

Other shows currently in development at Freeform include a modern day version of Dante’s Inferno, the musical drama Demo, produced by the Chainsmokers, The Wrap reports. The network also gave a series order to Last Summer, a ’90s-set thriller executive produced by Jessica Biel. Last month, Freeform added another new show to its lineup when it premiered a reboot of Party of Five.

Photo Credit: Freeform