"Life of Brian" is the sixth episode of the twelfth season and the 216th overall episode of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It aired on Fox in the United States and Canada on November 24, 2013, and is written by Alex Carter and directed by Joseph Lee.
The episode revolves around the death of Brian Griffin, after being struck by a car, and the family coping with the loss by adopting a replacement dog, Vinny.
Plot
Brian and Stewie flee a band of hostile Native Americans in a Jeep. Brian explains that on a trip to Jamestown in the past, Stewie gave the Native Americans guns which were used to wipe out the Europeans, leaving the Native Americans in charge of America. Stewie finds his return pad destroyed by bullets and decides to ask the alternate timeline Stewie for help. Going to the equivalent of their house, they find a new time machine and pad, then return to Jamestown. As soon as their original counterparts leave, they take back the guns and return to the proper time.
Tired of their close calls, Stewie destroys his time machine at the junkyard. While there, Stewie and Brian find a street hockey net and take it home. The first time they set it up, Brian is hit and critically injured by an out-of-control driver. The Griffins learn that Brian's injuries are fatal, and the family says their goodbyes. Before he dies, Brian expresses his love for the family.
While picking up the broken pieces of the hockey net, Stewie blames himself and the time machine for Brian's death. Stewie tries to rebuild the time machine and use it to save Brian, but finds that his dealer is unable to supply him with needed parts due to his connection being killed for accidentally drawing Muhammad. The family and friends hold a funeral for Brian.
A month later, the Griffin family still misses Brian dearly. Lois decides the best way for them to recover is to get a new dog. Peter chooses an Italian smooth-talking dog named Vinny at the pet shop. At home, Vinny offers to make dinner and ingratiates himself with the family. At the Drunken Clam, Peter introduces Vinny to Joe and Quagmire and they become drinking buddies. Stewie is not happy with Vinny and decides to ruin him. Stewie feeds him some sad Italian news hoping to break his heart, but Chris ruins it for Stewie. Later, Vinny hears Stewie crying and realizes he is still upset over Brian. Vinny offers some comfort, talking about the death of his previous owner Leo, and proving he knows what it is like to lose a best friend. Vinny says even in the pet shop, he felt a kinship with the Griffin family. Stewie accepts Vinny into the family. That night, Vinny goes to sleep beside Stewie's bed.
Production
In November 2013, Family Guy writer Steve Callaghan told E! about why they decided to kill off Brian in the episode, saying: "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."<ref name="eonline1">{ { cite web | url=http://www.eonline.com/news/484172/family-guy-s-shocking-death-boss-reveals-why-they-decided-to-kill-off-spoiler | title=Family Guy'''s Shocking Death: Boss Reveals Why They Decided to Kill Off [Spoiler]! |work=E! | date=2013-11-24 | accessdate=2013-11-25 | author=Aguilera, Leanne}}</ref> He also explained why they decided to kill off Brian and not one of the other characters, saying: "It seemed more in the realm of a reality that a dog would get hit by a car than if one of the kids died. As much as we love Brian, and as much as everyone loves their pets, we felt it would be more traumatic to lose one of the kids, rather than the family pet."
He also discussed how the other Family Guy actors reacted when they heard Brian would be killed in the episode, saying: "I think they were glad it wasn't them. [Laughs.] I think they were surprised, as anyone would be and I think they were pretty stunned especially this far into the show. They were as shocked as anyone." He also explained why they decided to replace Brian with another dog, saying: "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."