Family Guy Kills Off …!!!

Spoiler Alert!!! If you have not seen the latest episode of Family Guy, go no further. Nothing ever stays the same; even long-running animated series that we rely on to provide mindless, fun entertainment. Last night Family Guy fans got quite a shock when Brian, the Griffin’s family dog, was struck by a car and killed. Whaaa? This wasn’t a dream sequence, or an alternate universe thing, or a funny gimmick, nope they actually killed the beloved canine, they killed Brian, those bastards. Not only that, but the Griffins did not waste any time in getting a new dog to replace him, adopting Vito (voiced by The Sopranos’ Tony Sirico), so it seems that this death is definitely permanent.   In a recent interview with E!, Family Guy executive producer Steve Callaghan had this to say: “Well, this was an idea that got pitched in the writers room and it sort of caught fire, and we thought it could be a fun way to shake things up. As soon as this idea came up, we started talking about what the next couple episodes could be and we got very excited about the way this change will affect the family dynamics and the characters.” About the new addition to the Griffin family: “It felt like the way that this show was conceived by Seth all those years ago, was this entire family unit including the parents, kids and a dog.  So by losing Brian, it felt like a void needed to be filled both comically, and also for the interpersonal relationships between all the characters.  We felt that we needed to fill that role.” We wish that Brian’s replacement wouldn’t have been introduced do hastily, Brian’s death is certainly a significant change for the half-hour comedy and the character was a crucial part of its success. Surely some fans are likely sad about Brian’s parting, a little more time honoring the character and focusing on his death’s impact would have been nice. What did you think of last night’s shocker?