'Family Guy' Fans Launch Bring Back Brian Petition

According to public petition site, Change.org, the fastest growing — as in collecting signatures — entertainment-related petition on the site Monday was one launched by Family Guy fans asking that the show revive Brian, the Griffin family dog who was apparently killed off in last night's show.

Fox had been promoting the impending doom for one of the Griffin family, and the show dealt with the death of Brian, who is voiced — among many other characters — by show creator Seth Macfarlane, fairly straight, making points about loss and moving on that were at times, well, moving.

Stewie could always rebuild his time machine — it was destroyed in the episode as though a way to leave no opportunity for that Brian-recovery plot line. A new dog character was also introduced, Vinnie.

The "Seth MacFarlane, and Fox Broadcasting Company: Bring Brian Griffin back to Family Guy," petition read (it had 1,540 signatures at press time), "Brian Griffin was an important part of our viewing experience. 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. Follow us here for updates.https://www.facebook.com/pages/RIP-Brian-Griffin-from-Family-Guy/5034954...."

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.