The real star of ABC's 'Nashville'? Nashville

Dave Paulson | The Tennessean

A car crash, a relapse, an unplanned pregnancy — the characters on Nashville have more than their share of troubles to deal with as the prime-time drama returns for its second season Wednesday night at 10 p.m. Eastern on ABC. But one of the show's stars will remain in a much more flattering light: its namesake city.

The show returned in July to film its second season in the real Music City, both on location at landmarks such as The Parthenon and War Memorial Auditorium and on its local soundstage, which includes a full-scale replica of storied music venue The Bluebird Cafe. City officials estimate that the production of the first season generated more than $40 million in spending in the region via labor, goods and services.

"It's a capital investment and a personnel investment that occurs in the city," Mayor Karl Dean said. "Which is even more important because it helps us develop our TV and film industry here, which I think is a natural next step for us in terms of being Music City, to have that element here, too. But it's hard to put a number on what it means to have a network TV show named Nashville that has a positive outlook on the city and is viewed by millions and millions of people. That's something that doesn't happen to most cities, and I think it's a good thing for us to embrace it."

The finale of the first season of Nashville attracted roughly 6 million live viewers on May 22 (down from a peak of nearly 9 million for the premiere episode), and its audience is now expanding globally. Nashville production company Lionsgate reports that the show is seen in more than 50 countries, with particularly large fan bases in the United Kingdom, Latin America and Israel.

Butch Spyridon, president and CEO of Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp., believes that will mean a rise in international interest in the real Nashville, and when he heads to the World Travel Market event in London this November, he's planning to bring a couple of Nashville songwriters with him to help him promote the city.

"What something like the Titans moving here did, this may even be on a larger scale because of the international scope," Spyridon said. "There are just moments, opportunities in time that if cities take advantage of them, they change the game for good, and for the better."