Family Guy: 5 Reasons Why Bringing Brian Back From The Dead Was A Mistake

4. Brian's Death Was A Pretty Good Way To Shake Things Up

For all the anger and resentment kicked up in the wake of Brian's 'death', the decision to axe him WAS actually a pretty good way of shaking up a show that is growing staler than that piece of pizza you left down the side of the sofa. Having been running since 1999, the concept of Family Guy is becoming wearisome. Cut-away gags to irreverent - and irrelevant - 'jokes' about popular culture, chicken fights, stock footage of Conway Twitty... It's clear to see the show needed a bit of sprucing up. Which is why, when Tony Sirico joined the cast as 'Vinny' - the replacement dog the Griffins buy after Brian meets his maker - Seth MacFarlane had an opportunity to take the show in an exciting new direction. The possibilities for Vinnie were endless - character interactions, personality traits, his relationship with Stewie - yet in the end, MacFarlane tossed all that in the trashcan and brought Brian back - and though that's a fan pleaser, it takes Family Guy straight back to square one and fails to solve the problem of the show going past its sell-by date.