After the hit animated Fox comedy “Family Guy” killed off the character Brian in Sunday’s episode, several fans have created a Change.org petition asking FOX and creator Seth MacFarlane to bring Brian back.
Brian’s death came as a shock to everyone. No one expects the death of anyone on a light-hearted sitcom. Many people were confused as to why they would choose to kill off Brian. He is voiced MacFarlane, who also voices about half the characters on the show, so they aren’t saving any money on voice talent. In fact they are losing money by replacing Brian with another dog with a different voice.
“It felt like the way that this show was conceived by Seth all those years ago, it was this entire family unit including the parents, kids and a dog,” writer and producer Steve Callaghan explained in an interview. “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.”
Now that Brian has permanently left the show, a new dog named Vinny (voiced by Tony Sirico) will join the family. Sirico was formerly on the hit HBO show “The Sopranos” and portrayed the character Paulie “Walnuts” Gaultieri.
But diehard fans are in an uproar over Brian Griffins’ shocking death. Fans took to Twitter with such remarks as “NO NO NO NO !!!!! I AM NOT AMUSED AT ALL!!!” and “I AM NOT OK WITH THIS FAMILY GUY DEATH. NOT OK!!!” were just a few of the thousands of tweets.
Fans went straight to the internet to question the creators and writers of Family Guy, simply asking why. Why kill the household dog that everyone has come to love and adore?
Avid Family Guy viewer Aaron Thompson has launched an online petition to bring back the animal star from his grave. Thompson keeps the petition page updated daily, spreading news stories covering his efforts. These news organizations include BBC, ABC, E!, FOX, CNN and Today.com just to name a few. Also, more than 777,000 people have liked the R.I.P. Brian Griffin page on Facebook.
Currently, the petition has amassed 123,161 supporters, with only 31,713 needed until it is valid.
“Brian Griffin was an important part of our viewing experience,” the petition states. “He added a witty and sophisticated element to the show. Family Guy and Fox Broadcasting will lose viewers if Brian Griffin is not brought back to the show. The writers of family guy didn’t just kill off one of their creations, they killed off the dog who has lived in our homes for the last 15 years. They killed the dog we all have come to love. They killed America’s dog!”
There has been no comment from MacFarlane as of yet. But the creative team promises that Family Guy will continue to entertain fans with its shocking humor, cutaway gags, musical numbers and epic chicken fights. Although Brian did die, he will continue to be remember as America’s dog.