Rejoice, "Family Guy" fans, Brian Griffin is coming back, just in time for the holidays!
Just three weeks after Brian was run over by a car during a pick-up hockey game and died, the canine was revied on the show's Christmas episode Sunday.
Brian's death was prevented by Stewie Griffin who used his time machine to push Brian out of the way just in time.
"I mean, you didn't really think we'd kill off Brian, did you?" creator Seth MacFarlane tweeted after the episode aired. "Jesus, we'd have to be f-cking high."
The outspoken dog has been a series regular since "Family Guy's" 1999 pilot episode. Brain shared and emotional farewell during the episode of his death and was later replaced with a new god, Vinny.
"You've given me a wonderful life," Brain said to the Griffin family. "I love you all."
MacFarlane told E! News that Brian's death was pitched in the writers room and producers seem to like the idea.
"It seemed more in the realm of reality that a dog would get hit by a car, than if one of the kids died," MacFarlane said. "As much as we love Brian, and as much as everyone loves their pets, we felt it would be more traumatic to lose one of the kids, rather than the family pet."
Brain's death quickly spurred Internet outrage, with the hashtag #BringBrianBack trending on Twitter. Close to 130,000 fans signed a Change.org petition to bring back the beloved furry friend.
"The writers of family guy didn't just kill off one of their creations, they killed off the dog who has lived in our homes for the last 15 years," the online petition read. "They killed the dog we all have come to love. They killed America's dog!"
Oh and hey... thanks for caring so much about the canine Griffin. He is overcome with gratitude.
— Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) December 16, 2013
And thus endeth our warm, fuzzy holiday lesson: Never take those you love for granted, for they can be gone in a flash. — Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) December 16, 2013
