Ernie the Giant Chicken met his fate in Season 23 of Family Guy, when Meg killed him.
Now, the cartoon show is gearing up for Season 24, and the question remains: will Ernie see a comeback?
It appears his death will stick. Executive producer Alec Sulkin spoke on Ernie, telling TVLine, “I think that the chicken has gone the way of all flesh.”
He added, “Honestly, I feel like we got so many great set pieces out of the giant chicken fighting with Peter that they became hard to top. It’s a lot to ask of our production crew, and we may have just gotten the best out of that character.”
Ernie has been a mainstay in Family Guy since Season 1 as Peter Griffin’s arch nemesis. Ernie died at the hands of Meg after he gave her an ultimatum in the episode “The Chicken or the Meg,” explaining she could either cut ties with Peter or stop dating Ernie’s son, Nugget.
Meg wasn’t too happy about her choices, and she quickly understood at that moment that Ernie and Peter were pretty much the same. She then decides to decapitate Ernie.
It’s feasible that Ernie could come back for Season 24 since some characters have been “killed” only to return, including Peter, Brian, and Stewie Griffin. However, other characters have actually died on the show before, like Stewie’s adversary, Doug, who was killed in a plane crash in Season 21.
The Fox show is set to return to Fox in 2026. Until then, fans can stream the Halloween Family Guy special, A Little Fright Music, on Hulu starting Monday, while the series’ Christmas special is forthcoming.