Joanna Hunkin: Why can't I watch the end of Nashville?

Hayden Panettiere (left) and Connie Britton in Nashville. Photo / supplied by TVNZ

Joanna Hunkin mourns the demise of country soap opera, Nashville.

In the words of Stephanie Tanner, how rude.

Fifteen hours of my life was spent watching TV One's country soap opera, Nashville, before it was ruthlessly (and rudely) culled due to shonky ratings.

It came without warning. There I was, catching up on some guilty pleasure-viewing, when TV One's Voice of God informed me our country tryst was over.

Thank you and goodnight.

I could, however, still catch the final episodes on demand. But when I tried to do just that, it turned out I was too late.

There were six episodes left to complete season one. And three days left to view them.

Yeah, nah.

So now I'll never know what happens to Rayna and Deacon. Or Deacon and the pretty vet lady. Or the delightfully toxic Juliette Barnes (who I like to imagine is modelled on Taylor Swift - all sweet and perky in public but secretly a queen bitch behind-the-scenes).

And I'm annoyed about it.

Firstly, because it was good television and more people should have watched it.

And secondly, because TVNZ used their ondemand service as a dumping ground, instead of feeding the service (and its viewers) in a controlled and useful manner.

I understand the two-week limit is part of the licence agreement but there was nothing stopping the broadcaster from releasing the final six episodes on a week-by-week basis.

Yes, binge-viewing is all the rage but it's got to be on the right terms. My terms. At my leisure.

Besides, not all television is suited to binge-viewing. Nashville certainly isn't. It's a once-a-week, treacly treat. There's a limit to how much you can take.

I also feel programmers missed a trick in their initial scheduling of the show. To me, it was prime TV2 fodder.

An ageing, adulterous superstar is forced to team up with her much younger, more manipulative nemesis (who also happens to be a borderline nympho). What's not to love!?

But apparently the rest of you weren't convinced. Perhaps, as one non-watcher suggested, the very name Nashville turned people off. Kiwis just aren't that into country (Topp Twins and T-Swift being the exception).

It harks back to another quality drama that failed to launch - curiously also starring Connie Britton - Friday Night Lights.

The American football drama was critically revered - earning a slew of Emmy nominations and making a star of Minka Kelly. But once again, Kiwis didn't take to it.

Perhaps it's a culture clash? We just can't get our heads around the Americana of Friday night football or country music?

Whatever the reason, you're missing out. Both series offer more than their star-spangled backdrop.

With Nashville now off air and off demand, you'll never know. But you can still revisit the drama of Friday Night Lights on Lightbox. All five seasons are available to view at your leisure - with no expiry date in sight.

Which is video-on-demand the way it should be.