After the cliffhanger of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4 finale, fans were led to believe that they would have to wait until January of 2018 to find out what happened to Coulson - but it would seem that fans won't have to wait as long as expected.

Fans had already been aware that Inhumans would be taking Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s spot in the fall schedule; however, it was expected that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't return until the beginning of next year. This was confirmed by the show's visual effects supervisor back in May. At the time, it was thought that premiering in January would force the show to cram an entire 22-episode season into five months, meaning the series would have to air without breaks.

At the Television Critics Association press tour on Sunday, ABC Chief Channing Dungey confirmed that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will return immediately after Inhumans concludes its eight-episode first season. Inhumans will preview its first two episodes in IMAX on September 1, and will premiere on ABC on Friday, September 29 with a double-episode. If Inhumans runs without interruptions, this would put the show ending on November 10, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. starting back on November 17.

Agents of SHIELD Robbie Reyes Coulson Fitz

If Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns in mid-to-late November, this would be two months earlier than expected, but also two months later than normal. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. generally airs toward the end of September, takes a break after the second week of December, and returns in the beginning of March. This change in plans would allow Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to stretch out its fifth season longer than originally expected. Though the season will be able to take some breaks, it's unlikely that the show will be able to take it's usual three-month winter hiatus from December to March.

The show's move is good news fans who have been anxiously awaiting the show's return since last season's finale, which mysteriously put Coulson in outer space. The show is also expected to explore Coulson's deal with the Devil that allowed him to defeat AIDA. This storyline could potentially lead to the return of the fan-favorite character, Ghost Rider, who was a big help to the team in season 4. There are also rumors that the Kree could appear in the upcoming season.

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Season 5 of Agents of SHIELD premieres after Inhumans wraps up its first season on ABC, on Fridays at 9 pm.

Source: ABC [via EW]