Deacon (Charles Esten) is still around, but a preview clip from CMT makes it look like he's more interested in running Highway 65 and investing in Maddie's (Lennon Stella) pursuits than in making his own music. Plenty of the music put forth by the younger artists, especially Will (Chris Carmack), is great, but if that dichotomy is lost after Britton's departure, it would be a bit of a shame. Then again, there are still plenty of storylines to tie up, music aside. (Juliette's still recovering from the plane crash, and Scarlett is pregnant, for starters.)