Contrary to earlier indications, fans won't have to wait until January for the fifth season of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

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Absent from ABC's fall lineup unveiled in May, the drama was seemingly confirmed for an early-2018 return by visual effects supervisor Mark Kolpack, who subsequently deleted his tweets on the subject. However, ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey announced on Sunday that S.H.I.E.L.D. will kick off Season 5 immediately after the eight-episode run of Marvel's Inhumans.

“It’s going to come on right after Inhumans,” she told journalists at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour. “As soon as the eight episodes of Inhumans is done, then S.H.I.E.L.D. will begin."

That's undoubtedly good news for series devotees left dangling since May by the Season 4 cliffhanger, which held the promise of an out-of-this-world setting, as well as a time jump. It seems likely they'll also have to contend with another schedule change, as Inhumans will occupy Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT, a time slot Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will presumably take over.

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Marvel's Inhumans debuts Sept. 1 in IMAX theaters before making its broadcast premiere Sept. 29 on ABC.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. stars Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, Chloe Bennet as Daisy “Quake” Johnson, Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May, Iain De Caestecker as Leo Fitz, Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons, and Henry Simmons as Alphonso “Mack” Mackenzie.

(via Entertainment Weekly)