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"Covert Affairs" will return with a new chapter next summer. USA Network has renewed the spy drama series, ordering a 16-episode fifth season, a few weeks before the second half of the fourth season premieres.

"No other series on television travels the globe to tell a story like 'Covert Affairs', and we are pleased to bring it back for another season," says USA president Chris McCumber. "With its intricate storytelling, diverse characters and authentic locations, the series continues to be a cornerstone in our line-up of USA's original signature dramas."

With nearly 4 million viewers tuning into the show for the first half of season 4, the Piper Perabo and Christopher Gorham-starring series ranks among summer's top 10 cable scripted shows. The show will return with the remaining 6 episodes in the season starting October 17, after the season premiere of "White Collar".

Co-creators Matt Corman and Chris Ord teased a "different" Annie (Perabo) following her decision to fake her own death and go undercover to continue her mission to topple Henry Wilcox (Gregory Itzin).

"This change that we see in Annie at the end [of the summer finale] is a seismic one and a major one," Corman told The Hollywood Reporter. "It's going to launch us into a back six where we see a totally different Annie and a totally different show, and we hope people enjoy it."

Ord chimed in, "Every episode and every script we've been doing is exciting because we get to see a whole new side to Annie and how she operates, and the choices she's forced to make are a whole new chapter. She's never been faced with many of these challenges and she doesn't have the support system to help her. It's very interesting how she copes with this new paradigm."

"CSI: Miami" alum Jonathan Togo will be introduced in the second half of the season as Nelson Smith, an associate of Henry Wilcox. Annie's ability to turn assets is put to the test when she encounters Nelson.