Brian Griffin, Family Guy
Brian Griffin in Family GuyScreenshot from YouTube video

Brian Griffin, the much-loved pet in "Family Guy", has returned to life, amid concerns whether he would be ever seen again after being killed by a car, almost three weeks ago.

Brian was killed in a car accident in the 24 November episode, leaving the fans of the animated Fox comedy devastated. He was given an emotional adieu with a funeral service last month but thousands of fans had expressed their displeasure over the sudden demise of their beloved character.

As reported by a section of the media, Brian did return on Sunday's episode, thanks to a Christmas wish by baby Stewie Griffin, who asked Santa to bring back his dead friend Brian.

In the latest episode of "Family Guy", Stewie goes back to the accident scene and saves Brian from a possible fatal accident. They had a short conversation before Stewie vanishes. The Griffins parted ways with Vinny, the newest addition to the family, at the end of the episode.

"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**king high. Oh and hey... thanks for caring so much about the canine Griffin.  He is overcome with gratitude," tweeted "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane after the latest episode was aired.

It was earlier reported that Brian would make a return to "Family Guy" in the new episode - "Christmas Guy" - but Vinny replaced him in the opening credits of the 8 December episode, casting doubts over his return.

Surprisingly, the death of Brian in "Family Guy" was linked to actor Paul Walker, who was killed along with his friend Roger Rodas on 30 November, after their Porsche Carrera GT met with an accident in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles.

The conspiracy theory lies in the idea that an organisation called the Illuminati, which many believe to be a semi-secret fraternity that influences world events, foretold what was going to happen to the "Fast & Furious" star. The death of the dog named Brian in "Family Guy" was assumed to be a way of foretelling Walker's fate, whose character in one the popular film franchise was also Brian. [READ: Paul Walker Conspiracy Theories]