Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Isn't Returning Until Summer 2019 — Should We Be Worried?

You're going to have to wait a while for new episodes of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The series isn't returning until Summer 2019, ABC announced in a conference call for upfronts. Season 6 will now consist of 13 episodes, down from its usual 22-episode order, which doesn't bode well for the comic book series. S.H.I.E.L.D. was among the shows considered on the bubble until Monday's renewal announcement confirmed that Coulson (Clark Gregg) and company would, indeed, be back for another season -- much to the delight of worried fans.

And while a shortened season and pushed back premiere date suggest the series might be on its last leg, ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey says don't prep that TV obituary just yet. "I think the season we just had, Season 5, was their creatively strongest yet. So I don't, at the moment, have any plans to think of Season 6 as the last season," she told reporters. Dungey also added that the move to summer has nothing to do with what Marvel might be doing with its movies, as even she isn't privy to Marvel's plans.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. follows an elite group of agents who investigate strange occurrences. This past season saw Coulson and several members of his team taken aboard a mysterious spaceship where things can only escalate from there. Alongside Gregg, S.H.I.E.L.D. stars Chloe Bennet, Ming-Na Wen, Elizabeth Henstridge, Iain De Caestecker, Natalia Cordova-Buckley and Henry Simmons.

The Season 5 finale will air Friday, May 18 at 9/8c on ABC.

Additional reporting by Tim Surette.