10 Greatest 'I'm Dead And I Know It' Moments In TV History

5. Brian Griffin - Family Guy

Family Guy The Life of Brian Griffin Dead
Fox

"Greatest" may not be the best way to describe the death of Family Guy's Brian Griffin, yet that demise was a hugely powerful, poignant and emotional one when it occurred in Season 12's Life of Brian.

Whereas some other characters featured on this list realised death was upon them and went out with a spirited bang or a big middle finger to their rivals, the death of the Griffin's family dog was a different beast altogether.

As it dawns on Brian that the Grim Reaper is a-calling, the pooch opts to use this moment to tell his nearest and dearest how much he appreciates them, wishes them farewell and thanks them for giving him the best life possible.

In case you missed it, Brian was shockingly mowed down by a car as he and Stewie prepared to play street hockey. Rather than played for chuckles, the damage done to Brian is handled in a more nuanced, serious way, with him taken to the vets before it's revealed that his injuries are fatal.

Seeing Family Guy kill off one of its core characters was shocking enough, but it was even more jarring to see that it was a character as popular as Brian. In fact, so jarring was it, fan backlash led to the canine being brought back two episodes later thanks to some time-travel shenanigans.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.