Steven Universe will finally return after July’s cliffhanger

Four months after the last dose of Steven Universe, Cartoon Network has finally announced when the show’s next set of episodes will air.

Entitled Steven Universe: Diamond Days, the new story arc will kickstart on Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m. on Cartoon Network. New episodes will air weekly after that, culminating in a finale on Jan. 21, 2019. According to Broadcasting Cable, this latest batch will consist of just five episodes, with five new songs coming out concurrently with each one. The poster for this new arc shows off the Crystal Gems — and the powerful diamonds, with Steven donning Pink Diamond’s battle armor.

The first episode of this arc is one fans might have seen before — “Legs From Here to Homeworld,” which didn’t air on the Cartoon Network channel proper, but instead at the San Diego Comic-Con panel in July, and on the Cartoon Network app and website the day after. This is a common, if frustrating, practice for Cartoon Network shows.

“Legs From Here to Homeworld” ends on a major cliffhanger, bringing Steven face-to-face with the ominous and glimmering White Diamond for the very first time. Hopefully we’ll get some proper resolution after five months of waiting.

Amid the excitement of fans eager to return to Steven and the Crystal Gems, there are those expressing frustration with how radio-silent Cartoon Network has been about new episodes of the show and the movie announced at San Diego Comic-Con. Steven Universe frequently goes on hiatus, sometimes with stretches as long as 125 days at a time. The regular hiatuses frustrate some fans, especially since, when the show comes back, Cartoon Network often only airs a handful of episodes at once, instead of airing them on a consistent, regular basis. And in the case of the Diamond Days arc, the inclusion of “Legs From Here to Homeworld” makes these five “new” installments actually a set of four, and spread out across six weeks at that.

Regardless, new episodes, new songs and a movie are on their way.