In some sort of Christmas miracle, a television tragedy has been averted and one of “Family Guy’s” most loved characters has been given a second shot at life.
Last month “Family Guy” fans were devastated after one Brian, the sophisticated family dog, was hit by a speeding car and lay lifeless on the road.
The character, who had been in the show since the pilot, uttered “You’ve given me a wonderful life, I love you all,” as he closed his eyes for the very last time.
In the episode titled Life of Brian, the Griffin family were quick to find a replacement pooch called Vinnie who is voiced by Tony Sirico, the actor that played Paulie “Walnuts” Gautieri in The Sopranos.
At the time, Family Guy executive producer Steve Callaghan told E! Online that the writers thought Brian’s fatal accident was a fun way to shake things up.
“We started talking about what the next couple episodes could be and we got very excited about the way this change will affect the family dynamics and the characters,” Callaghan said.
But we were all fooled.
In the latest episode, which aired on Sunday, Stewie went back in time and saved Brian from being hit by the car.
Seth MacFarlane, the show’s creator, yesterday tweeted: “I mean, you didn’t really think we’d kill off Brian, did you? Jesus, we’d have to be f—ing high.”
This follows a mass outpouring of grief among fans when Brian was killed off. There was even a petition to get him back.
At the time MacFarlane tweeted: “And thus endeth our warm, fuzzy holiday lesson: Never take those you love for granted, for they can be gone in a flash.”
This article originally appeared on News.com.au.