Turns Out 'Family Guy' Dog Brian Isn't Dead After All

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

Looks like "Family Guy" punk'd everyone.

As many predicted, Brian the dog returned in last night's Christmas episode of the Seth MacFarlane animated comedy and it looks like he's here to stay.

Late November, the series killed off the family dog in an episode that left many fans upset.

Now in its 12th season, the death helped ratings jump a bit.

Here's a look at the ratings for the past three episodes:

Nov. 17 (episode before Brian's death): 4.5 million viewers
Nov. 24 (episode where Brian died): 4.6 million
Dec. 8 (episode following death): 5.4 million

With media - us included - covering the dog's death, "Family Guy" rolled with it, going as far as changing the opening of the show to reflect Brian's absence and make viewers believe he was gone for good.

Last week, we reported it looked like Brian may return to the show after reviewing a future episode synopsis.

So in a twist that should shock no one, this week the dog returned from the dead after Stewie Griffin was able to get a hold of his old time machine to go back in time and save his beloved dog.

Confused?

Here's how it went down:

Stewie saw a time-traveling version of himself (it's a cartoon show) in the present, so he easily borrowed his time machine to travel back to the past to bring back his dead dog.

And just like that, he's back.Wonder if this will have repercussions.

Either way, while Brian's back, it looks like this will be the end of Vinny the dog (played by "Sopranos" actor Tony Sirico) who shortly became the Griffin's new family dog.

Good knowing you, Vinny.