Why Family Guy's Writers Created The Brian & Stewie Bank Vault Episode

Nothing is stronger than a bond between a kid and his dog, particularly one that's crossed time and space like Brian and Stewie's (Seth MacFarlane) in "Family Guy." However, in season 8 (one of the very best seasons of the show), episode 17, the show didn't send its most beloved double act back to the dawn of the dinosaurs or into World War II. Instead, they stuck them together in a bank vault for a night, resulting in one of the best "Family Guy" episodes ever. 

But what got Brian and Stewie behind lock and key in "Brian and Stewie," and why were the creative team bent on putting all the focus on them? In an interview with Forbes, producer Kara Vallow revealed that another sitcom was the inspiration to get Brian and Stewie trapped in a vault:

"[Seth and I are] both huge fans of 'All in the Family,' which was consistently ranked at the top of the ratings while at the same time managing to break every single one of primetime TV's taboos. One of our favorite episodes was this one where Archie manages to get locked in the cellar with a bottle of vodka. I remember watching it with my dad and it's this sort of odd emotional episode So Seth decided he wanted to make a 'Family Guy' episode that didn't rely on our standard cutaways and gags — there's no bouncing off of other characters or even music in this one. So it's like a one-act stage play in a way."

As the creator of "Family Guy," Seth MacFarlane was not only deeply involved in the writing, but also voiced several of the show's main characters. "Brian and Stewie" marked a rare occasion for the guy behind "Family Guy" though, in that the whole episode was being fuelled by his vocal talents alone.

As MacFarlane voiced both Brian and Stewie, the entire episode depended on MacFarlane in a recording booth talking to himself for 30 minutes. For one of the writers, Jaydi Samuels, it stands as her favorite — even after being gifted with writing the 250th episode herself. "It was really funny but there were some dark moments and it was very philosophical. It was really cool. Because Seth plays both Stewie and Brian, the table read was essentially Seth having a conversation with himself for the entire half hour. It was so brilliant and well-written."

It's a testament to MacFarlane's capability that keeps fans coming back for more, and he'll only pull the plug when "Family Guy" fans stop caring. Speaking to Deadline, he admitted that he can't see an end any time soon. "I don't know that there's any reason to stop at this point unless people get sick of it. Unless the numbers show that people just are, 'Eh, we don't care about Family Guy anymore.' But that hasn't happened yet." 

We're sure there are still plenty of ideas tucked away in the vault.