CMT has announced the debut of their Sweet Home Alabama spin-off, Southern Nights, will be on April 7th. The new series will kick off with a pair of episodes. The cable channel has ordered eight installments.

Southern Nights will follow the second season return of Texas Women. Sweet Home Alabama, which airs on Friday nights, will wrap its third season of 10 episodes on March 23rd.

Here’s the CMT press release:

NEW SERIES “SOUTHERN NIGHTS” BRINGS CMT FAVORITES TO SAVANNAH FOR FUN AND ROMANCE IN THE DEEP SOUTH

New Series Featuring Cast Members from SWEET HOME ALABAMA Premieres Saturday, April 7 Following TEXAS WOMEN

NASHVILLE – March 12, 2012 – CMT’s new series SOUTHERN NIGHTS brings together ten well-known cast members from SWEET HOME ALABAMA to Georgia where they will live and party together, promising more fun and more drama than ever. The cast heads to the beautiful southern city of Savannah where some relationships will begin and others will be tested as past conflicts resurface and different lifestyles collide. Throughout the eight-episode series, they will explore the best of the South — from rodeos and ranches to upscale nightclubs and tailgate parties. SOUTHERN NIGHTS premieres Saturday, April 7 at 10:00 p.m., ET/PT on CMT with two back-to-back new episodes, immediately following the second season premiere of TEXAS WOMEN. New episodes will premiere weekly on Saturdays at 10:00 p.m.- 11:00p.m., ET/PT.

The SOUTHERN NIGHTS cast includes:

· Cassie Rupp – a journalist from Dighton, Kan., featured in season two. Cassie is a farmer’s daughter who was brought up helping on the family farm, riding horses, spending time at the nearby lake and enjoying the small things in life.

· Cody Harris – a rodeo cowboy from Robertsdale, Ala., featured in season one. Raised in a family that has strong roots in the rodeo, Cody has emerged as a young rising star.

· Collin Varallo – a landscape company owner from Birmingham, Ala., featured in season one. Collin considers himself a true Southern gentleman and believes football is a religion.

· Courtney Wilkerson – a small town Southern girl from Theodore, Ala., featured in season two. Courtney finds her family and friends two of the most important things in life.

· Devin Grissom – the bachelorette in season one and a public relations student at the University of Alabama from Cordova, Tenn. An avid sports fan, Devin hopes to have a successful sports broadcasting career in the future.

· “Jersey” Jeff Miranda – a red-carpet personality and performer from Newark, N.J., featured in season one. Jeff considers himself to be New Jersey’s most sought after bachelor.

· Kristina Kraus – a stylist from Orange County, Calif., featured in season two. Kristina loves her “OC lifestyle,” which involves tanning every day, wearing hair extensions and getting crystals on her nails.

· Landon “Tex” Chase – a firefighter and paramedic from Fort Worth, Tex., featured in season three. Landon is a self-proclaimed “good ol’ boy” and avid hunter.

· Michael “Flex” Dean – a personal trainer, actor and model from Las Vegas, Nev., featured in season one. Michael leads a healthy and active lifestyle away from the hustle of the Strip and is amazed by the outdoor beauty Nevada has to offer.

· Tristan Smith – a nursing student from Robertsdale, Ala., featured in season two. Without her southern roots, Tristan says she wouldn’t be where she is today.

SOUTHERN NIGHTS is produced by Glassman Media with executive producers Andrew Glassman, Grant Julian and Carrie Franklin. Claire McCabe and Jayson Dinsmore are executive producers for CMT.

CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network’s digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.