'Family Guy' Kills Off Brian (The Dog)

Like so many dogs before him, Brian got hit by a car. The family had a touching moment by his deathbed and then held a large funeral. (In case you were wondering, Stewie’s time machine was broken and he was unable to get the part to fix it so he could bring Brian back.) At the end of the episode, the Griffins got a new dog, Vinny, voiced by Tony Sirico (Pauly Walnuts from The Sopranos) who will be taking Brian’s place in opening credits.

Executive Producer Steve Callaghan spoke to E! about how he’s not worried about backlash from fans:

[O]ur fans are smart enough and have been loyal to our show for long enough, to know that they can trust us. We always make choices that always work to the greatest benefit of the series.

He did not reveal whether or not Brian ever get to finish that novel he was working on.