There are rarely deaths in animated shows, but when they do happen, it's often permanent, especially after its confirmed by one of the executive producers.
n the case of Family Guy, there's one character that won't be returning next season (season 24), and that's Peter Griffin's enemy, Ernie the Giant Chicken. So, I guess that means no more of those intense and often brutalizing fights between them.
The last we saw of Ernie was in season 23, episode 3's "The Chicken and the Meg," where Meg begins dating Ernie's son, Nugget, after meeting him on a reality show. Ernie is pleased with the situation, while Peter isn't, and to appease him, Meg moves out of the house and into Nugget's, whom he shares with Ernie and the rest of the family.
But Meg realizes that Ernie is much worse than Peter. In retaliation for his torment of her dad, she literally has Ernie running with his head cut off, which, realistically, is a very horrendous death for the bird. She also breaks up with Nugget at this time and reconciles with Peter.
Is Ernie the Giant Chicken really dead, who has been with Family Guy since season 2, and Peter will no longer have a mortal enemy?
According to showrunner Alec Sulkin, as reported by TVLine, Ernie's gone for good and will not be returning. As great and iconic as those fights were between him and Peter, Sulkin expressed that they ran their course and will be retiring the long-running gag.
“I think that [Ernie] the Chicken has gone the way of all flesh. 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.”
Family Guy hasn't killed off many characters
Family Guy has only killed off a handful of its characters in its twenty-six years of being on FOX.
We have lost Peter's mom, Thelma, Peter's boss, Angela, and, more recently, Doug, who was Stewie's enemy. The last one was a shock, given that Doug was killed off-screen at the end of Season 21, Episode 10, "The Candidate." His ending marked Stewie's having an enemy, and he hasn't found a new one since.
Ernie's death reflects that Peter will have to either find a new enemy or, as a few of the fans under the TVLine's comments section, Ernie's family will have their revenge on the Griffins. Nonetheless, one of Family Guy's well-known comedic elements has completed its journey, and it's now time to let that chicken rest.
Family Guy is now streaming on Hulu. Family Guy season 24 premieres n FOX in 2026.