Maksim Chmerkovskiy 'May Well Be Back' for New Season of 'Dancing With the Stars'

Credit: ABC

After missing out on last season of Dancing With the Stars, fiery ballroom bad boy Maksim Chmerkovskiy may be back sooner than you think, according to PEOPLE.

"Maks is part of the family," said ABC's president of entertainment Paul Lee on Sunday at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour. "He may well be back. We love having him be part of the show."

The popular pro – known for his steamy routines and hotheadedness with the judges – is currently performing in Luis Bravo’s show, Forever Tango, at Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre through Aug. 11 with former fiancé and Dancing With the Stars co-star Karina Smirnoff.

Chmerkovskiy's potential return is only one of the possible twists on this upcoming season, as ABC has already revealed that it would be cutting Tuesday results shows and instead focusing on the two-hour Monday performance show. Lee did not provide any additional details about the change, but hinted that eliminations could occur at the end of each show.

Season 17 of Dancing With the Stars premieres Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.