Brian Griffin was hit by a car in Family Guy episode ‘Life of Brian’ (Picture: Fox)

Major Family Guy character Brian Griffin died in last night’s episode, in either a desperate bid to spice up the show or simply a middle finger to fans.

Despite having appeared in almost every episode and been the central character in many, Brian was killed off in pretty blunt fashion under the wheels of a car, disposed of in an almost trivial way like an extra in one of the show’s numerous throwaway flashbacks.

Executive producer Steve Callaghan described it as ‘a fun way to shake things up,’ but 11 seasons and 216 episodes in it seems like an act of desperation.



Creator Seth MacFarlane has previously suggested that he wants the show to end and fears it may have passed its sell-by date.


‘Part of me thinks that Family Guy should have already ended. I think seven seasons is about the right lifespan for a TV series,’ he told The Hollywood Reporter.

MORE: 5 things that Brian Griffin has taught us about life

Brian was replaced by new dog Vinnie (Picture: Fox)

‘I talk to the fans and in a way I’m kind of secretly hoping for them to say we’re done with it. There are plenty of people who say the show is kind of over the hill… but still the vast majority go pale in the face when I mention the possibility.’

It’s clear MacFarlane feels creatively-frustrated having to continue to churn out the cartoon, but can’t say no when the audience is still so large. As such, killing off Brian was a bit like saying ‘There, are you still going to watch now?’. It was almost an act of sabotage, seeking to undermine the basis of the show, because at this stage, why not?

If this is the case it’s unlikely to have the desired effect, if anything Family Guy’s enduring popularity is precisely because of its disregard for character and plot arcs, instead taking unconnected fragments of jokes and firing them in an ADHD burst at the viewer. It’s stand-up masquerading as fiction, and as long as the tangential pop culture references continue to amuse the fans, they could quite easily murder every last Griffin.

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