‘Nashville’: The Four Things We Hope To See In Season Three Of ABC’s Hit Show

With fall's TV lineup quickly approaching, there are a lot of things we are counting down to see. One of the biggest shows on our watch list for the fall is Nashville. The country music-based show returns to ABC on Sept. 24. In honor of the upcoming season premiere we are outlining what we hope to see throughout the third season.

1. Live Performances Meet Live Shows

Every season of Nashville includes musical numbers that steal the show, but this season is going to be different. In fact, the season three premiere will feature some of the actors and musicians performing live on television. The best part is that the live show isn't only for the East Coast, which we would have understood but also have been sad about.

"After the East Coast airing, the cast will perform their songs live for the second time for the West Coast airing," E! Online reported. "Plus, both the studio tracks and live rendition versions of the songs will be immediately available for fans to download on iTunes following the episode so you can keep on singing along even after the episode ends."

Both Chris Carmack, who plays Will Lexington, and Charles Esten, who plays Deacon Claybourne, will be singing live from The Bluebird Cafe when the show airs. Charles will sing "I Know How To Love You Now," which he co-wrote with Deana Carter and Chris will sing "If It's Love," written by The Striking Matches.

2. Gunnar Make It Big

Last season we ended with both Zoey and Gunnar being added to Juliette's tour, which made them hesitant to tell their friend Avery about his girlfriend Juliette's infidelity. Gunnar (played by Sam Palladio) is always the underdog when it comes to the musical talent on the show and we are ready for him to be the main star.

"Well I really enjoyed Gunner's slow rise to riches, he's a great character to play because I get to play sort of the everyman in a sense, in a show that's full of kind of big, hugely successful country stars and whatnot, and I feel like Gunner's a little more relatable to a struggling musician trying to get his work out there and stay true to his credibility and not sell out," Sam told Glamour UK about his character.

Gunnar is very talented but can never get the right break. He has had success as a songwriter, but this season we want to see him take charge and really make it big ... possibly as a solo artist.

3. Juliette and Avery Stay Together

Yes, Juliette Barnes was bad in season two and slept with Jeff Fordham, but she still loves Avery, which must count for something. In the season two finale Avery came back to Juliette even though he knew about the cheating scandal, which shows promise for their relationship. Juliette was never happy until she met Avery and they are the one couple we've always rooted for.

The biggest problem is the upcoming pregnancy that they will have to deal with. Because of Hayden Panettiere's (who plays Juliette) real-life pregnancy, the show is incorporating a new storyline, which includes Juliette getting pregnant into this season. The real question is, who will be the baby's father?

4. Rayna and Deacon Actually Get Back Together

Romance might have been in the air during the season two finale, after Luke proposed to Rayna (played by Connie Britton), but the moment we remember most is when Deacon finally professed his love to Rayna. This season, our top priority is Rayna and Deacon actually being a couple.

They have been dysfunctional since the beginning of the show, but they are truly in love with one another, so it's about time they actually dated again. Seeing as they are Maddie's real parents and she now knows about it, them getting together would be great.

The only negative is Luke. We like Luke, but he's not Deacon ... and Deacon deserves to be with Rayna. We know there will be a lot of drama surrounding this love triangle this season and we cannot wait to watch it unfold.

What are you most looking forward to in season three of Nashville?