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Suddenly, "Chuck" has gone from a show that some say barely made it to renewal, to what could be the network's last remaining hope.

NBC will bring its show starring Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski back to the airwaves on a special night, Jan. 10 (a Sunday) beginning at 8 p.m. It will be followed with a second episode Jan. 11, as it takes over the former timeslot of "Heroes" at 8 p.m. ET Monday.

That means "Heroes" will have a new timeslot beginning Jan. 11, working as "Chuck's" lead-out at 9 p.m. ET.

This is great news for "Chuck" fans, but one that was anticipated following the cancellation of "Trauma." NBC had originally intended to air "Chuck" with a reduced season schedule beginning in March.

"Josh [Schwartz] and Chris [Fedak] and the writing team are doing a great job this season, and we think the loyal fan base for this show will be happy to see it back on the NBC schedule," said Angela Bromstad, NBC's president of primetime entertainment, in a release.

This season of "Chuck" will not be without some big names as special guests. "Law & Order's" Angie Harmon will stop by right away playing Sydney, an enemy operative. Brandon Routh of "Superman Returns" will play CIA agent Daniel Shaw in an episode.

And because you can't have "Chuck" without a Terminator, Robert Patrick from "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" will make an appearance as Col. Keller, a soldier and spy from Casey's past.

Also, "Smallville's" Kristin Kreuk will play a potential love interest for Chuck while Armand Assante from "Judge Dredd" fame will play a dictator the target of an assassination.

"Chuck" has a lot of pressure on it. NBC is looking to get its Monday schedule back to where it once was. "Heroes" is off nearly 30 percent from its previous year. "Trauma" didn't do exactly what the network had hoped as a lead-out from its once signature show. And then there's "The Jay Leno Show," which really doesn't need any explanation.

NBC is losing the Monday battle by far in a look of overnight ratings from non-news, non-event first-run programming for the night. NBC is averaging a 3.7 rating/6 share, a distant fourth place behind ABC (9.7/15), CBS (7.1/11) and Fox (5.5/8). But how much of a help "Chuck" will be is still uncertain.

Last season, "Chuck" averaged a 4.0/6, just 8 percent better than what "Trauma" has averaged in the timeslot this year. However, if "Chuck" can continue that ratings average when it returns, it would make it NBC's best-performing program of the night ahead of "Jay Leno" (3.9/6) and "Heroes" (3.5/5).

To get a look at what's to come on "Chuck," check out this special sneak preview courtesy of NBC.

This story was updated at 10:40 a.m. ET to correct the new timeslot for "Chuck." It will replace "Heroes" at Mondays at 8 p.m ET, while "Heroes" will move to 9 p.m. ET beginning Jan. 11