During Smash’s first season the character of eavesdropping assistant Ellis (played by Jaime Cepero) managed to wiggle his way into the television zeitgeist as one of the most despicable characters in recent memory… and now he’s back!



TVLine reports that Cepero will reprise his role as the world’s worst assistant in the show’s upcoming second season. The catch? New Smash showrunner reportedly teased that Ellis’s return may or may not be in the present.



Does that mean Ellis’s big return will be a Smash flashback? (Or, more appropriately, a Smashback?) Or will we see a glimpse of the future where Ellis didn’t perish in a freak eavesdropping accident? If you remember, Cepero was one of a handful of actors who were not invited back to be regulars on the show's second season.



The second season of Smash premieres on NBC on February 5.