AceShowbiz -

Brian Griffin may be brought back to life for a Christmas episode of "Family Guy". The recently deceased dog will appear in "Christmas Guy" which is set to air on December 15, so Entertainment Weekly reports. It's unclear how Brian will be resurrected as FOX declines to comment on the news.

The official synopsis of the episode reads, "When Carter Pewterschmidt cancels the annual Quahog Christmas carnival, because he hates the holiday, Peter must transform his father-in-law from a Scrooge into a hometown hero in order to salvage the event. Meanwhile, Stewie devises a master plan to get the one and only thing he wants for Christmas."

Brian died in a November 24 episode after being hit by a car. The death appeared to be permanent since Stewie couldn't repair his time machine to prevent Brian's death, and the family decided to move on by adopting a new pet.

Despite executive producer Steve Callaghan's confidence that "it could be a fun way to shake things up," fans protested against it. An online petition was then launched to bring Brian back, with petition organizer Aaron Thompson of Tuscaloosa writing, "The writers of family guy didn't just kill off one of their creations, they killed off the dog who has lived in our homes for the last 15 years. They killed the dog we all have come to love. They killed America's dog!"