Social media exploded after “Family Guy” killed off its beloved Brian the dog character three weeks ago, and Twitter was equally active as the show’s canine cartoon companion miraculously came back to life last night through a time machine.
The question begs: was Brian’s revival a planned plot device, or did social media outcry—and a Change.org petition—force show creator Seth MacFarlane to bring Brian back after killing him less than a month ago.
MacFarlane seemed to have an answer during the show.
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
I mean, you didn’t really think we’d kill off Brian, did you? Jesus, we’d have to be fucking high.
— Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) December 16, 2013
Only MacFarlane and his writers know whether Brian’s return was planned or not, but the social backlash definitely put some heat on the show: over 128,000 people signed the Change.org petition, which also linked to a Facebook page of show fans who vowed to boycott watching until Brian came back.
There was also the hashtag #BringBackBrian, who was in the Christmas spirit today:
Hooray! #BringBackBrian worked…it’s a Christmas miracle! #DontKillCartoonDogsEver
— ZAG Interactive (@zaginteractive) December 16, 2013
Planned or forced by social TV cries—it is an interesting TV development for there to even be a conversation questioning whether social media activity actually altered the plot of a major entertainment show.
WATCH Brian’s return: