Connie Britton on CMT's 'Nashville': 'I'm in for the duration'

Connie Britton delivered an assuring message about the status of her role on Nashville while visiting The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday.

"I'm in it," she told host Ellen DeGeneres when asked about rumors that she wouldn't be appearing in the entire upcoming fifth season, airing on CMT. "I'm in. I'm in for the duration."

The country music drama was unexpectedly canceled by ABC after a four-year run on the network. The news came only 13 days after the season-four finale, which ended in a cliff-hanger surrounding Hayden Panettiere's character, Juliette Barnes.

Read more: New 'Nashville'Boss on CMT Move, and Deeper, More Diverse Season 5

Nashville now has a new home at CMT, which partnered with Hulu to resurrect the series, and Britton credited the fans for giving the show its second life.

See photos from "Nashville":

"I have seen in so many ways in my life the power that a unified voice can have," she said about the reaction to ABC pulling the plug. "The fans were just not going to have it."

Britton called the upcoming season "exciting" and said the storylines coming from new showrunners Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick (My So-Called Life, Thirtysomething) will "get us back to what Nashville is about."

The fifth season premieres Thursday, Jan. 5, at 9 p.m. on CMT. Asneak peek of the first half of the two-hour event aired Dec. 15.

Read more: New 'Nashville' Boss Discusses Juliette's Fate and What's Next: This Is a "Huge Opportunity"

Watch Britton's appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show below.

Read more: 'Nashville' Season 5 Trailer Revealed, CMT Sets Premiere Sneak Peek