Seth MacFarlane…still a genius

All in all, 2013 was a rather quiet year for Seth MacFarlane. All he did was host the Academy Awards, produce a movie in 1000 degree heat, cancel Cleveland Show, move American Dad to TBS, get a new show called Bordertown back, kill off Brian from Family Guy, only to bring him back last night...

Yep…quiet.

For all of the bullshit that Seth puts up with in terms of being a big celebrity whether it has to do with who he is sleeping with or what type of parties he puts together, Seth , at his heart, is still the 27-year old dude that gave us one of the biggest animated franchises of all-time…Family Guy. Like Seth of old, the most recent run of Vinnie-Family Guy episodes left us guessing when the hell is Brian Griffin coming back? Despite the fact that a few months ago Brian was listed as part of the story lines in the upcoming guest star roles with Maya Rudolph and Glenn Howerton, WHEN the beloved dog was going to return was a bit more difficult to surmise than which Family Guy character was going to die.

Alas, as it turns out, last night Brian Griffin returned to Family Guy in what was a fitting Christmas present to anyone who has been following the series for what seems like a million years. Better yet, Seth was holding our hands the entire time waiting to tell us what exactly was the reasoning for killing Brian in the first place:

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

Wanna know the biggest differences between Family Guy of now versus Family Guy of yesteryear? Seth’s heart. Its no secret that Seth isn’t part of the writing process nearly as he was in the early days of Family Guy giving way to take on more projects from those of the musical variety to that of film and hosting duties. Since Seth has handed over the reins of producing, Brian has went from a voice of reason to a liberal spokesperson, Meg and Chris have gone from teenagers to a punching bag and mentally challenged individuals, and moreover Stewie went from a baby hell bent on killing his mother and taking over the world to a wise-cracking troublemaker. Last night’s episode saw the true return to what made Family Guy great for the first time in a number of years and it was all because Seth’s heart seemed to be back in it. For the first time since the show’s cancellation,  this country was united in its love for Family Guy and standing behind one of their favorite characters in Brian Griffin. For three weeks the writers of Family Guy made THEIR show the talk of the town, not Walking Dead, not Sons of Anarchy, no Family Guy was the talk of the town. Even South Park’s stellar Game of Thrones trilogy didn’t have the captivation that this season’s Family Guy had the last three weeks nor did it have the word of mouth presence that Family Guy brought to the table. Seth MacFarlane saw this and even thanked his loyal fans:

Oh and hey… thanks for caring so much about the canine Griffin. He is overcome with gratitude. — Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) December 16, 2013

Yep, Brian Griffin is back folks. And no, I don’t care if you recorded the episode on DVR nor do I care that you are waiting to watch it on Hulu. For one night, Seth MacFarlane and Fuzzy Door Prods gave us, the first-run fans,  back the Family Guy that we all grew up on, the one we talked about at the water coolers or while waiting on line for the school bus to show up around the corner to take us home. And with that, Seth MacFarlane still talked to us…the fans. And he still knows how to not sugar-coat anything that he is doing:

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

Yep…genius.