The bad news for Ugly Betty fans: the show is off the air until January 6.

The great news: that's a Wednesday.

As has been rumored for weeks, the show is abadoning its graveyard of a time slot on Friday nights and moving to the middle of the week when it returns. But that's not all:

Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family's Mitchell) will reprise his role as Betty's orthodontist on the January 6 installment. Among other storylines viewers can look forward to:

• Betty surprises Matt with a gallery showing of his art work. Tony Award-winning actress Christine Ebersole (pictured below) guest stars as Frances, the gallery owner;
• Matt Newton returns as Marc's one-night stand, Troy, who is clearly smitten with Marc;
• Hilda struggles with whether or not to tell Bobby that he's the father of her unborn child;
• Cal Hartley hires a major Hollywood player, Denise Ludwig, to replace Wilhemina.

As always, TV Fanatic will update our Ugly Betty music and quotes section after each new episode.

For now, get an early look at what's ahead via the following photos from "The Passion of the Betty." Click on each to enlarge...

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.