Amy Acker

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) — The final season of ABC’s "Alias" just got a little shorter as the show’s creator/executive producer J.J. Abrams confirmed to the site over the weekend that the veteran spy drama will close after 17 episodes this season, not 22 as originally indicated.

"Too bad on the one hand, but on the other, we have an awesome finale in the works," Abrams said via e-mail.

Said development leaves only eight installments of the series left to air when it returns later this season. So far, ABC has yet to announce a return date for "Alias."

Industry insiders however have speculated the show will rejoin the network’s schedule on Wednesday, April 19 at 8:00/7:00c, the week after "The George Lopez Show" and "Freddie" are expected to wrap their respective seasons.

An official announcement is expected by the end of the week.