Nothing is stronger than the bond between a child and their dog, especially one that transcends time and space like that of Brian and Stevie (Seth MacFarlane) on "Family Guy." However, in season 8 (one of the 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 World War II. Instead, they stuck them in a bank vault all night, resulting in one of the the best Family Guy episodes ever.

But what drove Brian and Stevie behind the scenes in Brian and Stevie, and why was the creative team inclined to put all the focus on them? In an interview with Forbesproducer Cara Wallow revealed that another sitcom was the inspiration for Brian and Stevie being trapped in a vault:

“(Seth and I are) both huge fans of All in the Family, which consistently topped the ratings while breaking all the taboos of hit TV. One of our favorite episodes was the one where Archie manages to lock himself in the cellar with a bottle of vodka, I remember watching it with my dad and it's kind of a weird emotional episode Seth decided he wanted to do a Family Guy episode that wasn't relies on our standard cuts and gags - there's no bounce to other characters or even music in this one, so it's kind of like a one-act stage play.

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 Stevie" marked a rare occasion for the guy behind "Family Guy," as the entire episode was fueled by his vocal talents alone.

As MacFarlane voiced both Brian and Stevie, the entire episode hinged on MacFarlane talking to himself in the recording booth for 30 minutes. For one of the writers, Jadey Samuels, it's her favorite — even after she was gifted writing the 250th episode herself. "It was really funny, but there were some dark moments and it was very philosophical. It was really cool. Since Seth plays both Stevie and Brian, at the table read essentially Seth talked to himself for half an hour. brilliant and well written."

It's a testament to MacFarlane's ability to keep fans coming back for more that he's just about to pull the plug on when Family Guy fans stop caring. Talking to Rockhe admitted he can't see an end anytime soon. "I don't know that there's any reason to stop it at this point, unless people are sick of it." But that hasn't happened yet."

We are sure there are still many ideas hidden in the vault.