Just as this season's Big Love is gearing up for what looks like its biggest story arc ever, HBO has announced that the show will be back for a fifth season. This is reason for fans to rejoice--and breathe a sigh of relief.

The current season is only 9 or 10 episodes (I've read both numbers), rather than the usual 13. I've heard that the short season is most likely because of HBO's Sunday-night scheduling problems, what with the new mini-series The Pacific on the horizon. Nevertheless, anyone who follows TV closely knows that short episode orders often precede cancellation or at least "on the bubble" status.

Another reason for concern is that the show has flown under the radar for a long time. There have been occasional controversies, of course. The subject matter is designed to rile folks up. That's one of the reasons HBO scheduled it in the first place, I'm sure. But beyond the initial dust-up, Big Love has not generated the buzz of The Sopranos or, more recently, True Blood. It's just been a rewarding build of interesting plots, near-unique characters, and exceptional acting.

This season, Big Love has embarked on an even bigger story than usual--the career rise and moral downfall of patriarch Bill Henrickson, a thread that kicked off earlier this week. This series has always had a complex story structure that benefits from a little extra time to tell it right (without dragging it out). It would have been a double shame for the producers to be forced to wrap up the Bill-as-Michael-Corleone storyline within the space of a few episodes.

The renewal follows a good month for the show. Season 4 ratings are up and Chloe Sevigny received a long-overdue Golden Globe for her indelible performance as Nicki. (Did you see the look on her face as she watched a joyful Sarah marry Scott? That's acting, people.) Now all we need to see is some Emmy love.

So while Bill may be heading down the path to darkness, it's nice to know that HBO and a steadily growing group of viewers have seen the light.