Family Guy death plot twist

SPOILER: There were shocks all round when Family Guy killed off beloved pooch Brian three weeks ago.

But in “The Christmas Guy” episode which just aired in the US, Brian has been brought back to life.

It all happened after Stewie performed a Christmas miracle with a newly-mended time machine and a visit to Santa.

I’m surprised they didn’t have him step into the shower and pass it all off as a dream.

Seth MacFarlane yesterday tweeted: “And thus endeth our warm, fuzzy holiday lesson: Never take those you love for granted, for they can be gone in a flash.

“I mean, you didn’t really think we’d kill off Brian, did you? Jesus, we’d have to be f***ing high.”

Of course the other lesson may well have been far more cynical than festive.

As Rolling Stone recently pointed out:

Though executive producer Steve Callaghan explained Brian’s death as a “fun way to shake things up” on the show, some suspect the reasons for Brian’s death might also have something to do with the ratings for Fox’s long-running cartoon series: September’s season 12 premiere was down 21 percent from last year, and a bloody publicity stunt like this might just help the series get a boost in viewers – and rake in some extra merchandise sales in time for the holidays.

There’s also another lesson in this too: never, ever, take your audience for granted…