It's official: 'Chuck' will get a 13-episode fifth season from NBC. How crazy is that -- in a good way?

"The passion of the 'Chuck' fans has been heard again... We are all truly lucky to have the greatest fan base on TV. Thank you," executive producer and co-creator Josh Schwartz tweeted late this morning.

Update: TV Line and EW are reporting that the fifth show will be the season's last, though that has not yet been confirmed on the record by the producers or NBC. It won't be a surprise if season 5 is the show's swan song. I think most fans had expected that if 'Chuck' got a fifth season, it would be the last go-round for the Buy More crew.

It's a testament to the devotion of the show's fans that 'Chuck' got this far. Every spring for the last few years, the beloved spy show has always been on the chopping block and 'Chuck' addicts have agonized over the possibility that it would be canceled. Who would have thought we'd be looking at a fifth season of the little show that could?

Television fans often go through a fair amount of heartbreak, especially at this time of year, when shows are being canceled left and right. But 'Chuck' getting a fifth season is one of those moments when you just have to sit back and savor the unexpected delightfulness.

According to news reports, 'Chuck' will get a 13-episode fifth season. Will the episode order expand if NBC's new shows tank next year? We don't know that yet, but if I'm able to find out from the show's executive producers, I'll keep you posted.

Having to create new half-seasons on the fly has led to problems in seasons 3 and 4, and I'm not going to sit here and say that every episode of the show is perfect. I've come to accept a certain amount of inconsistency from 'Chuck,' because the good or great episodes of this show are just so damned entertaining.

Hats off the the 'Chuck' fans, who, with sites like We Give a Chuck, once again made their voices heard and helped convince NBC to pick up the show again, despite sagging ratings this spring. I can only imagine how fun the 'Chuck' session is going to be at Comic-Con this year.

Just think: Next season, we'll get to hear John Casey grunt some more. We'll get more Jeffster. We'll get more Casey-Morgan bonding. We'll get more Awesome, which is awesome. We'll get more Sarah Walker, and, if we're lucky, we'll get more of the Giant Blonde She-Male of Thailand.

We'll get more spy antics, pop-culture references, silliness, adventure and heart, and the show will get to go out on its own terms.

Sometimes there are dispiriting days on the TV beat. This is not one of them. Huzzah!

Follow @MoRyan on Twitter.