RIP, Brian.

Brian Griffin the dog on "Family Guy," is dead. Stewie has a new dog, Vinny, but I guess the show will never be the same again after last night.

That's pretty crazy if you ask me. I'm no Family Guy fanatic, but I did use to watch it with friends in college. In all truthfulness, Brian was the most sane character on that show despite his lust for Lois and drinking and drug problems.

I wonder why they killed off the character?

saltyboot said:I wonder why they killed off the character?

I actually did watch the clip of Brian's death--and aside from a squirrel being unsurprisingly pleased with the outcome-- and a funny line from a headless chicken, it was actually played straight. Brian did not have some freak accident or murder, he rather tragically was run over by a car. For once, all the family members acted like normal people and it was quite touching as Brian told everyone how much he loved them.

However, some people are certain this won't be permanent because there are some future episodes that supposedly have Brian linked plot lines. How can Brian be in them if he's dead?

Hmm. So they killed off a main character because they wanted a fun way to make a change and shake things up. Ooookay. At first I thought the actor who played Brian might be leaving the show because of other opportunities, or a falling out. That makes a lot more since.

Although, I wouldn't be surprised if they do bring back Brian and this was really just a stunt.

Actually the voice actor of Brian is none other than Seth MacFarlane himself, who also voices Stewie, Peter and Quagmire. So if MacFarlane suddenly decided to leave the show, than the whole show would most likely be cancelled.
Although your theory reminded me of the one I used to have as to why Velma, Daphne and Fred weren't in the Scooby and Scrappy Doo Show--I thought the voice actors quit because Scrappy was so annoying.[rolling]

Oh. I don't watch the show so I didn't know he voiced those characters (Peter was the only one I knew he voiced). OK, so that's why they had no problems killing off Brian. But still, the reasoning is pretty stupid.

Really, Brian is one of the founding characters, retooled from a Cartoon Network debut as Steve in Larry And Steve.

Of course, when a character like Brian has been around in a long runner, he gets pigeonholed as far as characterization, which limits the kinds of comic mechanisms that he can do. I think his forays into alcoholism and substance abuse were efforts to allow him to act out of character with an excuse. But that's a poor crutch, especially for the long term. This Vinny starts out as a blank, with limitless characterization potential, thus can work any kind of comic mechanism, dramatic sting or subplot device. It will take much time until Vinny "cements" into his role, which means that Fox has much confidence in the Family Guy franchise as an ongoing vehicle.

Glowworm said:Actually the voice actor of Brian is none other than Seth MacFarlane himself, who also voices Stewie, Peter and Quagmire. So if MacFarlane suddenly decided to leave the show, than the whole show would most likely be cancelled. Although your theory reminded me of the one I used to have as to why Velma, Daphne and Fred weren't in the Scooby and Scrappy Doo Show--I thought the voice actors quit because Scrappy was so annoying.[rolling]

I am afraid it may soon be the end of the line for "Family Guy." Let's face it, with Brian gone, the show's not going to be the same. People will probably not like Vinny.
I give the show maybe one or two more seasons until it ends. And the other episodes this season were not particularly interesting to me. I'm guessing "Family Guy" is starting to go into a Simpsons-like drop in quality...

saltyboot said:Oh. I don't watch the show so I didn't know he voiced those characters (Peter was the only one I knew he voiced). OK, so that's why they had no problems killing off Brian. But still, the reasoning is pretty stupid.

So…… Brian's back? (Heard this on the radio.)

His "death" lasted a whopping total of like 3 episodes, I think.

IronCookuru said:His "death" lasted a whopping total of like 3 episodes, I think.

I heard that Stewie went back in time to push Brian out of the way of the car.

Yeah, that's what I read too. Pretty short death if you ask me.

Perhaps Brian was Only Slightly Dead, which tends to happen to animated characters. A long nap and some chicken soup, and death isn't much worse than a head cold. 🐶

At least Stewie didn't have any time complications occur from saving Brian from getting hit by a car. Rose Tyler on the other saw all hell break loose when she tried to save her father from getting hit by a car in "Father's Day" , an episode of Doctor Who. (Yes, I am a Whovian, thanks to my boyfriend.)

Not having access to Hulu or FOX; I missed the episode and only saw the different articles linked above. If what has been said about Stewie having gone back in time and pushed Brian out of the way is true; I'm glad. I think the only other bad decision McFarlane ever made with regard to FG, besides killing off Brian, was to have given Cleveland Brown his own show (is that still even airing?)

From what I heard , that show has been canceled.

Good... I think he's the most boring character on FG. What were they thinking in giving him a spin-off series?

Zavkram said:If what has been said about Stewie having gone back in time and pushed Brian out of the way is true; I'm glad.

Apparently, that episode was their holiday special (aired on Dec. 15th). I'm not surprised it was just a stunt.

oneuglybunny said:Perhaps Brian was Only Slightly Dead, which tends to happen to animated characters. A long nap and some chicken soup, and death isn't much worse than a head cold. 🐶

[Off-topic:] At present, I have a head cold and I feel like hell. Am I dead, or merely animated?

O.k. I'll admit that I never really warmed to the world of Seth McFarlane. His stuff always sounded like the kind of humor that one grows out of with time. All that snarky, self-referential stuff seemed to telegraph its destination miles ahead of its arrival (if that makes any sense—I am running a fever).

Well, the biggest difference between all dead and mostly dead is simple- with simply dead, they are slightly alive. But with all dead, all you can do is go through their pockets looking for loose change. ^_~ (I so hope someone gets that joke!)

Take this miracle pill. The chocolate coating makes it go down easier.