2. No Brian = No Family Guy
Of all the overblown, ridiculous characters Family Guy has, Brian was the only one I could relate to. He was the most normal character on the show - his hopes and dreams to become a famous writer resonated, his relationship with Stewie was both hilarious and entertaining, and his level-headed attitude balanced the show out. When Peter was about to do something dumb, like drink kerosene, Brian was the voice of reason. When Stewie tried to kill Lois, Brian tried to stop him. Now that he's gone, we are left with a group of wildly-out-of-control individuals. We have also been robbed of memorable episodes such as the 'Road To...' specials, which were arguably some of the show's best, and the Brian/Stewie episodes, such as 2010's 'Brian & Stewie', which saw the pair locked in a bank vault and was the only episode not to feature any cut-away gags. In that episode, Stewie tells Brian that he needs him. And that's true - Brian is frequently shown to be one of only a few characters who can actually understand what Stewie is saying, and though new character Vinnie is shown to have those capabilities in 'Life of Brian', he'll never bring the best out of Stewie as Brian did. In killing Brian, MacFarlane hasn't just killed the dog, he's murdered Stewie as well, and maybe even Family Guy.