Brian Griffin
Encyclopedia
Brian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy
. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane
and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself. MacFarlane was asked to pitch a pilot to the Fox Broadcasting Company
based on Larry and Steve, a short made by MacFarlane which featured a middle-aged character named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve. After the pilot was given the green light, the Griffin family appeared on the episode "Death Has a Shadow
".
Brian is a member of the Griffin family. He primarily works in the series as a struggling writer attempting essays, books, novels, screenplays and newspaper articles. His appearance was a redesign of the protagonist Steve from MacFarlane's previous animated short films, The Life of Larry & Steve. He has been featured in much of the Family Guy merchandise, including toys, t-shirts video games and has made crossover
appearances in the other MacFarlane-produced shows, American Dad!
and The Cleveland Show
.
. Brian is an alcoholic and is seen to have serious problems in various episodes when he is told or forced to stop drinking. He is the son of Coco and Biscuit, who are normal dogs, though Brian's human attributes have been present since he was a puppy. Brian is an aspiring but mediocre writer – this is said to be a reference to Snoopy
from Peanuts
, who inspired much of Brian. He also has a (human) son named Dylan, who is also a regular marijuana smoker. Brian manages to turn Dylan's life around, from a rough, uneducated teenager, to a well-mannered considerate young man. Brian is unemployed but he is often seen writing various novels, screenplays or essays. In the episode "Play it Again, Brian" Brian won an award for an essay he wrote.
In the episode "420
", Brian finally publishes his novel Faster Than the Speed of Love, and the novel is shipped, but it is critically panned and does not sell a single copy. In the episode "Dog Gone", he receives an invitation (from the Rhode Island Society for Special Literary Excellence) to an award ceremony celebrating his novel. Brian, convinced that he is a great writer, attempts to gain the family's interest in this piece of news but fails to do so. Once he arrives at the "award ceremony", however, he discovers that he has misunderstood the meaning of the word "special
." Later in the episode "Brian Griffin's House of Payne
", he writes a television script entitled "What I Learned on Jefferson Street", and it was shown to a TV network who picked it up after reading it. Finally in the episode "Brian Writes a Bestseller", Brian writes a bestselling self-help book, Wish It, Want It, Do It, which he wrote in a few hours. The book is an immediate success, but Brian lets the fame go to his head. He eventually causes the downfall of his book's popularity, and things go back to normal.
Family Guy uses a floating timeline
in which the characters do not age much, so the show is always assumed to be set in the current year. However, several of the characters, such as Meg Griffin
, have aged two to three years since the show's pilot episode
, while others, such as Stewie
and Brian, have remained the same age. In several episodes, events have been linked to specific times, although this timeline has been contradicted in subsequent episodes.
created a cartoon short entitled Life of Larry. The short centered around a middle-aged man named Larry and his anthropomorphic dog Steve. In 1999, when MacFarlane was working for Hanna-Barbera Studios, writing for shows such as Johnny Bravo
, Dexter's Laboratory
, and Cow and Chicken
, he made a sequel to Life of Larry, which Cartoon Network
broadcast in 1995. The short caught the eye of 20th Century Fox
representatives, who asked him to create a TV series revolving around the characters. MacFarlane received a US$50,000 budget to develop a pilot for the show, which was, as MacFarlane stated in a 2006 interview, " about one twentieth of what most pilots cost". MacFarlane claims to have drawn inspiration from several sitcoms, namely The Simpsons
and All in the Family
. Several premises were also carried over from several 1980s Saturday morning cartoons he watched as a child, namely The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang, and Rubik, the Amazing Cube
.
In three months, MacFarlane created the Griffin family and developed a pilot for the show he called Family Guy. Brian's character was largely based on Steve, and Larry would be the main inspiration for the Peter character.
While the voices of Peter and Stewie were inspired from a security guard and Rex Harrison
respectively, Brian's voice is MacFarlane's normal speaking voice. MacFarlane noted in an interview that a reason that he voices Peter and the rest of the characters he voices is because they had a small budget and because he prefers to have the freedom of doing it himself.
There have been occasions where MacFarlane does not voice Brian, such as in the episode "Road to the Multiverse
" (season 8
, 2009), where Brian was voiced by Japanese actor Kotaro Watanabe instead of MacFarlane in a scene where everything in the world was Japanese. MacFarlane noted that actor William H. Macy
auditioned for the role of Brian.
and his neighbors Joe and Quagmire
at "The Drunken Clam," Quahog's local tavern. Brian dates a lot of women throughout the seasons of the show. He normally looks for women who are similar to him or share the same interests. In the episode "Brian the Bachelor
" (season 4, 2005), Brian participates in ABC
's The Bachelorette
and falls in love with the bachelorette, Brooke, because they shared the same interests. He dated Jillian Russell, who, introduced in the episode "Whistle While Your Wife Works
" (season 5, 2006), became a recurring character in future episodes of the series. Jillian's final character personality was designed to be a stereotypical blonde, "a bulimic cheerleader," and "not the brightest bauble on the tree." Brian has a cultured background; he loves opera
and jazz
, and is vocally
talented. It is also implied that he attended Rhode Island's Ivy League school, Brown University
. In the episode "Brian Sings and Swings
" Brian meets Frank Sinatra, Jr.
, they both sing together in the episode and also in the episode "Tales of a Third Grade Nothing
". He tends to hold liberal
political positions even though Lois
points out in the episode "Excellence in Broadcasting" that he is a contrariate
. It is also suggested on a number of occasions that Brian may hold repressed racist views, for instance barking uncontrollably at a black record producer in the episode Don't Make Me Over, and then apologizing profusely, saying "Oh my God, I am so sorry I keep doing that . . . I get that from my father." However, in the episode "Peter's Got Woods", Brian does date a black woman whom he meets at a PTA meeting.
Brian's relationship with the Griffin family is different with each member. Peter and Brian are friends. In the episode "The Man With Two Brians
" (season 8, 2008), Peter states that Brian is the one who helps him get out of the trouble of his shenanigans. Peter and Brian can sometimes struggle with their friendship, such as in "Peter's Got Woods" (season 4, 2005), where Peter replaces Brian with James Woods
. Brian has a crush on Peter's wife Lois
, which is used as a recurring joke in the series. In "Brian in Love" (season 2, 2000), it is revealed that Brian is in love with Lois and they both talk about it. Then in "Play It Again, Brian" (season 6, 2008), Brian tries to kiss her.
Brian's relationship with Meg
and Chris
is not as significant as with the rest of the family but they do have their good moments and adventures such as when Brian accompanied Meg to her prom
in the episode "Barely Legal
." Brian and Stewie's relationship is complicated as they often fight but also go on various adventures. In the "Road to...
" series, which is a parody of the Road to film series
, Brian and Stewie have gone on various trips to different locations, including Europe, World-War-II-era England, Poland, and Nazi Germany, as well as a number of different realities across the Multiverse. In the episode "Brian and Stewie," Stewie reveals to Brian that he would be lost without him and that Brian is the only person he cares about. He then tells Brian he loves him, not as a lover, but as a friend. Brian says he loves Stewie too and thinks of him as a friend as well. In 2009, Brian learns that, despite their apparent friendship seen in previous episodes, Quagmire actually hates him. Brian tries to befriend Quagmire, but Quagmire rebuffs him and calls him, among other things, a "sad, alcoholic bore". Quagmire has beaten Brian to a pulp after Brian unknowingly had sex with Quagmire's transgender
ed father Ida (née Dan), and told Brian that no one cares about his opinion. The feud came to an high point in "Tiegs for Two" when Brian tries to spite Quagmire by dating his ex-girlfriend Cheryl Tiegs
. Quagmire gets revenge in turn by dating Jillian and, after an argument and trade of insults, both women leave in disgust. Quagmire and Brian apologize to each other and reconcile.
Despite his overwhelming human qualities, Brian still exhibits some traits associated with real dogs, such as being unable to resist chasing a ball, being afraid of vacuum cleaner
s or not figuring out how to get a paper bag off of his head.
In Family Guys feature-length parodies
of the Star Wars
original trilogy — "Blue Harvest
", "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side
" and "It's A Trap" — Brian appears as Chewbacca
. Brian, and most of the central characters on Family Guy, also appeared in the pilot episode of
the show's spin-off The Cleveland Show
.
has given Brian a positive review, calling him the best talking man-dog. He also praised Brian's adventures with Stewie calling them, "center of many of the show's best bits". Haque later made a list titled "Family Guy: Stewie and Brian's Greatest Adventures", where he stated that "Brian and Stewie paired together has always been a winning formula for Family Guy". They also praised the selection of Brian to play Chewbacca as they stated in the "Blue Harvest" review. In their list of "What Else Should Family Guy Make Fun Of?", IGN commented that Brian would be perfect to play Q
, if Family Guy ever decides to make a James Bond
parody.
However, in a review of the seventh season, Haque wrote that Brian "unfortunately was terribly misused this season. He's degenerated into nothing more than a soapbox for the political views of the writers". In a review of the eighth season, Haque stated that Brian "left his lofty position as the voice of reason and switched to pretentious loser".
Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
praised the Brian character, and stated that "Brian has always been the show's best character and its most developed one".
(season 4, 2006) is ranked number 5. In IGN
's top 10 musical moments in Family Guy
Brian ranked number 6 spot, number 5 spot and number with the songs, "The Freakin' FCC" from "PTV
" (season 4, 2005), "Never Gonna Give You Up" from "Meet the Quagmires
" (season 5, 2007) and "This House Is Freakin' Sweet" from Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater
(season 2, 1999) respectively. Brian was ranked number 2 in IGN's Top 25 Family Guy Characters.
episode "Cartoon Wars Part I
". The scene depicted a conversation between Peter and Brian leading to one of the show's trademark cut-away gags; like Peter, Brian was rendered in South Parks distinct animation style.
CD, and plays a significant part in Family Guy Video Game!, the first Family Guy video game, which was released by 2K Games
in 2006. MacFarlane recorded exclusive material of Brian's voice and other Family Guy characters for a 2007 pinball machine of the show
by Stern Pinball. In 2004, the first series of Family Guy toy figurines was released by Mezco Toyz
, each member of the Griffin family had their own toy, with the exception of Stewie, of whom two different figures were made. Over the course of two years, four more series of toy figures have been released.
As of 2009, six books have been released about the Family Guy universe, all published by HarperCollins
since 2005. This include Family Guy: It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One
(ISBN 978-0-7528-7593-4), which covers the entire events of the episode "It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One", and Family Guy and Philosophy: A Cure for the Petarded (ISBN 978-1-4051-6316-3), a collection of seventeen essays exploring the connections between the series and historical philosophers. which include Brian as a character.
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself. MacFarlane was asked to pitch a pilot to the Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
based on Larry and Steve, a short made by MacFarlane which featured a middle-aged character named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve. After the pilot was given the green light, the Griffin family appeared on the episode "Death Has a Shadow
Death Has a Shadow
"Death Has a Shadow" is the first episode of the animated series Family Guy. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States after Super Bowl XXXIII on January 31, 1999. The episode is based on series creator Seth MacFarlane's original pitch to Fox, The Life of Larry, and is a remake of...
".
Brian is a member of the Griffin family. He primarily works in the series as a struggling writer attempting essays, books, novels, screenplays and newspaper articles. His appearance was a redesign of the protagonist Steve from MacFarlane's previous animated short films, The Life of Larry & Steve. He has been featured in much of the Family Guy merchandise, including toys, t-shirts video games and has made crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
appearances in the other MacFarlane-produced shows, American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
and The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
.
Role in Family Guy
Brian is a white-furred anthropomorphic dog. He can talk, generally walks on his hind legs (using his front legs as arms), has opposable thumbs and often acts more rationally than many of the other characters in the series. He is the pet dog and friend of the Griffin familyGriffin family
The Griffin family is a family from the animated television series Family Guy. The Griffins are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Peter and Lois, their three children Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their dog Brian. They live at 31 Spooner Street in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode...
. Brian is an alcoholic and is seen to have serious problems in various episodes when he is told or forced to stop drinking. He is the son of Coco and Biscuit, who are normal dogs, though Brian's human attributes have been present since he was a puppy. Brian is an aspiring but mediocre writer – this is said to be a reference to Snoopy
Snoopy
Snoopy is an fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. He is Charlie Brown's pet beagle. Snoopy began his life in the strip as a fairly conventional dog, but eventually evolved into perhaps the strip's most dynamic character—and among the most recognizable...
from Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
, who inspired much of Brian. He also has a (human) son named Dylan, who is also a regular marijuana smoker. Brian manages to turn Dylan's life around, from a rough, uneducated teenager, to a well-mannered considerate young man. Brian is unemployed but he is often seen writing various novels, screenplays or essays. In the episode "Play it Again, Brian" Brian won an award for an essay he wrote.
In the episode "420
420 (Family Guy)
"420" is the twelfth episode of the seventh season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It premiered on Fox in the United States on April 19, 2009. The title of the episode is a reference to the term "420" used in cannabis culture; "420" premiered the day before April 20 , on which a...
", Brian finally publishes his novel Faster Than the Speed of Love, and the novel is shipped, but it is critically panned and does not sell a single copy. In the episode "Dog Gone", he receives an invitation (from the Rhode Island Society for Special Literary Excellence) to an award ceremony celebrating his novel. Brian, convinced that he is a great writer, attempts to gain the family's interest in this piece of news but fails to do so. Once he arrives at the "award ceremony", however, he discovers that he has misunderstood the meaning of the word "special
Mental retardation
Mental retardation is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors...
." Later in the episode "Brian Griffin's House of Payne
Brian Griffin's House of Payne
"Brian Griffin's House of Payne" is the fifteenth episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 28, 2010. The episode features Brian after he discovers an old script he had written in the basement, and subsequently...
", he writes a television script entitled "What I Learned on Jefferson Street", and it was shown to a TV network who picked it up after reading it. Finally in the episode "Brian Writes a Bestseller", Brian writes a bestselling self-help book, Wish It, Want It, Do It, which he wrote in a few hours. The book is an immediate success, but Brian lets the fame go to his head. He eventually causes the downfall of his book's popularity, and things go back to normal.
Family Guy uses a floating timeline
Floating timeline
A Floating timeline is a device used in fiction, particularly in comics and animation, to explain why characters age little or not at all over a period of time - despite real-world markers like notable events, people and technology appearing in the works and correlating with the real world.A...
in which the characters do not age much, so the show is always assumed to be set in the current year. However, several of the characters, such as Meg Griffin
Meg Griffin
Meg Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is the eldest child of Lois and Peter and elder sister of Chris and Stewie. Meg is considered as the black sheep of the series due to the lack of attention she receives....
, have aged two to three years since the show's pilot episode
Death Has a Shadow
"Death Has a Shadow" is the first episode of the animated series Family Guy. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States after Super Bowl XXXIII on January 31, 1999. The episode is based on series creator Seth MacFarlane's original pitch to Fox, The Life of Larry, and is a remake of...
, while others, such as Stewie
Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
and Brian, have remained the same age. In several episodes, events have been linked to specific times, although this timeline has been contradicted in subsequent episodes.
Creation
When he was still in college, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlaneSeth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
created a cartoon short entitled Life of Larry. The short centered around a middle-aged man named Larry and his anthropomorphic dog Steve. In 1999, when MacFarlane was working for Hanna-Barbera Studios, writing for shows such as Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo is an American animated television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network. The series stars a muscular beefcake young man named Johnny Bravo who dons a pompadour hairstyle and an Elvis Presley-like voice and has a forward, woman-chasing personality...
, Dexter's Laboratory
Dexter's Laboratory
Dexter's Laboratory is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky and produced by Cartoon Network Studios . The show is about a boy named Dexter who has an enormous secret laboratory filled with an endless collection of his inventions...
, and Cow and Chicken
Cow and Chicken
Cow and Chicken is an American animated series, created by David Feiss. The series shows the surreal adventures of a cow, named Cow, and her chicken brother, named Chicken. They are often antagonized by "The Red Guy", who poses as various characters to scam or hurt them...
, he made a sequel to Life of Larry, which Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (United States)
Cartoon Network is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting which primarily airs animated programming. The channel was launched on October 1, 1992 after Turner purchased the animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1991...
broadcast in 1995. The short caught the eye of 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
representatives, who asked him to create a TV series revolving around the characters. MacFarlane received a US$50,000 budget to develop a pilot for the show, which was, as MacFarlane stated in a 2006 interview, " about one twentieth of what most pilots cost". MacFarlane claims to have drawn inspiration from several sitcoms, namely The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
and All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
. Several premises were also carried over from several 1980s Saturday morning cartoons he watched as a child, namely The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang, and Rubik, the Amazing Cube
Rubik, the Amazing Cube
Rubik, the Amazing Cube was a Saturday morning cartoon that aired from 10 September 1983–1 September 1984 in the United States, produced by Ruby-Spears Productions. The program, broadcast as part of The Pac-Man/Rubik, the Amazing Cube Hour block on ABC, featured a magic Rubik’s Cube named Rubik...
.
In three months, MacFarlane created the Griffin family and developed a pilot for the show he called Family Guy. Brian's character was largely based on Steve, and Larry would be the main inspiration for the Peter character.
Voice
The voice of Brian is provided by the show's creator MacFarlane who also provides the voice for Peter, Stewie, and Quagmire. In addition, MacFarlane provides the voices for various other recurring and one-time only characters, most prominently those of news anchor Tom Tucker, Lois' father Carter Pewterschmidt, and Dr. Hartman. MacFarlane has been part of the main voice cast from the beginning of the series including the pilot, as well he has been voicing Brian from the start. MacFarlane chose to voice Peter and the rest of characters voices himself, believing it would be easier to portray the voices he already envisioned than for someone else to attempt it.While the voices of Peter and Stewie were inspired from a security guard and Rex Harrison
Rex Harrison
Sir Reginald Carey “Rex” Harrison was an English actor of stage and screen. Harrison won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards.-Youth and stage career:...
respectively, Brian's voice is MacFarlane's normal speaking voice. MacFarlane noted in an interview that a reason that he voices Peter and the rest of the characters he voices is because they had a small budget and because he prefers to have the freedom of doing it himself.
There have been occasions where MacFarlane does not voice Brian, such as in the episode "Road to the Multiverse
Road to the Multiverse
"Road to the Multiverse" is the first episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. Directed by Greg Colton and written by Wellesley Wild, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 27, 2009...
" (season 8
Family Guy (season 8)
Family Guy eighth season first aired on the Fox network in twenty episodes from September 27, 2009 to May 23, 2010 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. It ran on Sunday nights between May and July 2010 on BBC Three in the UK...
, 2009), where Brian was voiced by Japanese actor Kotaro Watanabe instead of MacFarlane in a scene where everything in the world was Japanese. MacFarlane noted that actor William H. Macy
William H. Macy
William Hall Macy, Jr. is an American actor and writer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo. He is also a teacher and director in theater, film and television. His film career has been built mostly on his appearances in small, independent films, though...
auditioned for the role of Brian.
Personality
Brian frequently gets drunk with PeterPeter Griffin
Peter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
and his neighbors Joe and Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire, often referred to as just Quagmire, is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. Quagmire is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family. He is best known for his hypersexuality...
at "The Drunken Clam," Quahog's local tavern. Brian dates a lot of women throughout the seasons of the show. He normally looks for women who are similar to him or share the same interests. In the episode "Brian the Bachelor
Brian the Bachelor
"Brian the Bachelor" is the seventh episode from the fourth season of Family Guy. It originally broadcast on June 26, 2005 and was written by Mark Hentemann and directed by Dan Povenmire. The episode sees Brian becoming a contestant on The Bachelorette and falling in love with the bachelorette,...
" (season 4, 2005), Brian participates in ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's The Bachelorette
The Bachelorette
The Bachelorette is a spin-off of the American competitive reality dating game show The Bachelor. In its January 2003 debut on ABC, the first season featured Trista Rehn, the runner-up date from the first season of The Bachelor, offering the opportunity for Rehn to choose a husband among 25 bachelors...
and falls in love with the bachelorette, Brooke, because they shared the same interests. He dated Jillian Russell, who, introduced in the episode "Whistle While Your Wife Works
Whistle While Your Wife Works
"Whistle While Your Wife Works" is the fifth episode of season five of Family Guy. The show originally aired on November 12, 2006. The plot follows Peter losing his fingers after an accident while holding fireworks. Behind on his work and threatened with the possibility of dismissal, he asks Lois...
" (season 5, 2006), became a recurring character in future episodes of the series. Jillian's final character personality was designed to be a stereotypical blonde, "a bulimic cheerleader," and "not the brightest bauble on the tree." Brian has a cultured background; he loves opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and is vocally
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
talented. It is also implied that he attended Rhode Island's Ivy League school, Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. In the episode "Brian Sings and Swings
Brian Sings and Swings
"Brian Sings and Swings" is the nineteenth episode of the fourth season of Family Guy. The episode was first broadcast on January 8, 2006. Brian meets Frank Sinatra, Jr. and begins to perform on stage with him, and they are shortly joined by Stewie...
" Brian meets Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Franklin Wayne Sinatra , professionally known as Frank Sinatra, Jr., is an American singer, songwriter and conductor....
, they both sing together in the episode and also in the episode "Tales of a Third Grade Nothing
Tales of a Third Grade Nothing
"Tales of a Third Grade Nothing" is the sixth episode of the seventh season of Family Guy that aired on November 16, 2008 and ended the first half of the season. The episode's title is an allusion to the Judy Blume children's book Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, whose narrator-protagonist is...
". He tends to hold liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
political positions even though Lois
Lois Griffin
Lois Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane...
points out in the episode "Excellence in Broadcasting" that he is a contrariate
Contrarian
In finance, a contrarian is one who attempts to profit by investing in a manner that differs from the conventional wisdom, when the consensus opinion appears to be wrong....
. It is also suggested on a number of occasions that Brian may hold repressed racist views, for instance barking uncontrollably at a black record producer in the episode Don't Make Me Over, and then apologizing profusely, saying "Oh my God, I am so sorry I keep doing that . . . I get that from my father." However, in the episode "Peter's Got Woods", Brian does date a black woman whom he meets at a PTA meeting.
Brian's relationship with the Griffin family is different with each member. Peter and Brian are friends. In the episode "The Man With Two Brians
The Man with Two Brians
"The Man with Two Brians" is the fifth episode of the seventh season of the animated series Family Guy. It premiered on Fox in the United States on November 9, 2008. The episode centers on anthropomorphic dog Brian after he is injured during a stunt being enacted by his owner, Peter, after he...
" (season 8, 2008), Peter states that Brian is the one who helps him get out of the trouble of his shenanigans. Peter and Brian can sometimes struggle with their friendship, such as in "Peter's Got Woods" (season 4, 2005), where Peter replaces Brian with James Woods
James Woods
James Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...
. Brian has a crush on Peter's wife Lois
Lois Griffin
Lois Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane...
, which is used as a recurring joke in the series. In "Brian in Love" (season 2, 2000), it is revealed that Brian is in love with Lois and they both talk about it. Then in "Play It Again, Brian" (season 6, 2008), Brian tries to kiss her.
Brian's relationship with Meg
Meg Griffin
Meg Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is the eldest child of Lois and Peter and elder sister of Chris and Stewie. Meg is considered as the black sheep of the series due to the lack of attention she receives....
and Chris
Chris Griffin
Chris Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is the son and middle child of Peter and Lois Griffin, brother of Stewie and Meg Griffin. Chris is voiced by Seth Green.-Personality:...
is not as significant as with the rest of the family but they do have their good moments and adventures such as when Brian accompanied Meg to her prom
Prom
In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...
in the episode "Barely Legal
Barely Legal (Family Guy)
"Barely Legal" is the eighth episode of season five of Family Guy. The episode originally broadcast on December 17, 2006. The plot sees Meg developing an obsession with Brian after he accompanies her as her date for the Junior Prom, eventually leading to her kidnapping Brian in order to engage in...
." Brian and Stewie's relationship is complicated as they often fight but also go on various adventures. In the "Road to...
Road to... (Family Guy)
The Road to... episodes, also known as the Family Guy Road shows, are a series of episodes in the animated series Family Guy. They are a parody of the seven Road to... comedy films, starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour, which were released from 1940 until 1962...
" series, which is a parody of the Road to film series
Road to...
Road to ... refers to a series of seven comedy films starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour. They are also often referred to as the "Road" pictures or the "Road" series. The movies were a combination of adventure, comedy, romance, and music...
, Brian and Stewie have gone on various trips to different locations, including Europe, World-War-II-era England, Poland, and Nazi Germany, as well as a number of different realities across the Multiverse. In the episode "Brian and Stewie," Stewie reveals to Brian that he would be lost without him and that Brian is the only person he cares about. He then tells Brian he loves him, not as a lover, but as a friend. Brian says he loves Stewie too and thinks of him as a friend as well. In 2009, Brian learns that, despite their apparent friendship seen in previous episodes, Quagmire actually hates him. Brian tries to befriend Quagmire, but Quagmire rebuffs him and calls him, among other things, a "sad, alcoholic bore". Quagmire has beaten Brian to a pulp after Brian unknowingly had sex with Quagmire's transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
ed father Ida (née Dan), and told Brian that no one cares about his opinion. The feud came to an high point in "Tiegs for Two" when Brian tries to spite Quagmire by dating his ex-girlfriend Cheryl Tiegs
Cheryl Tiegs
Cheryl Rae Tiegs is an American model and actress.- Early years :Tiegs was born in Breckenridge, Minnesota but raised in Alhambra, California, and she graduated from Alhambra High School in 1965. She also attended the California State University, Los Angeles and became a little sister to the Sigma...
. Quagmire gets revenge in turn by dating Jillian and, after an argument and trade of insults, both women leave in disgust. Quagmire and Brian apologize to each other and reconcile.
Despite his overwhelming human qualities, Brian still exhibits some traits associated with real dogs, such as being unable to resist chasing a ball, being afraid of vacuum cleaner
Vacuum cleaner
A vacuum cleaner, commonly referred to as a "vacuum," is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal...
s or not figuring out how to get a paper bag off of his head.
In Family Guys feature-length parodies
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
original trilogy — "Blue Harvest
Blue Harvest (Family Guy)
"Blue Harvest" is the hour-long premiere to the sixth season of the FOX series Family Guy and the first part of the series' trilogy Laugh It Up, Fuzzball. It originally aired on September 23, 2007. The episode is a retelling and parody of the 1977 blockbuster film, Star Wars Episode IV: A New...
", "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side
Something, Something, Something, Dark Side
"Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" is the season finale of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy and part of the series's trilogy Laugh It Up, Fuzzball. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 23, 2010...
" and "It's A Trap" — Brian appears as Chewbacca
Chewbacca
Chewbacca, also known as Chewie, is a character in the Star Wars franchise, portrayed by Peter Mayhew. In the series' narrative chronology, he appears in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...
. Brian, and most of the central characters on Family Guy, also appeared in the pilot episode of
Pilot (The Cleveland Show)
"Pilot" is the first episode of the first season of the animated comedy series The Cleveland Show. Directed by Anthony Lioi and written by series creators Seth MacFarlane, Mike Henry and Richard Appel, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 27, 2009...
the show's spin-off The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
.
Reception
Ahsan Haque of IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
has given Brian a positive review, calling him the best talking man-dog. He also praised Brian's adventures with Stewie calling them, "center of many of the show's best bits". Haque later made a list titled "Family Guy: Stewie and Brian's Greatest Adventures", where he stated that "Brian and Stewie paired together has always been a winning formula for Family Guy". They also praised the selection of Brian to play Chewbacca as they stated in the "Blue Harvest" review. In their list of "What Else Should Family Guy Make Fun Of?", IGN commented that Brian would be perfect to play Q
Q (James Bond)
Q is a fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. Q , like M, is a job title rather than a name. He is the head of Q Branch , the fictional research and development division of the British Secret Service...
, if Family Guy ever decides to make a James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
parody.
However, in a review of the seventh season, Haque wrote that Brian "unfortunately was terribly misused this season. He's degenerated into nothing more than a soapbox for the political views of the writers". In a review of the eighth season, Haque stated that Brian "left his lofty position as the voice of reason and switched to pretentious loser".
Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
praised the Brian character, and stated that "Brian has always been the show's best character and its most developed one".
Commendations
In IGN's "Family Guy: Top 10 Fights" Brian's fight with Stewie in the episode "Patriot GamesPatriot Games (Family Guy)
"Patriot Games" is the twentieth episode of the fourth season of the animated television series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox on January 29, 2006, around the time of Super Bowl XL, which fit the sports theme of the episode. In it, Peter goes to his high school reunion and meets Tom Brady...
(season 4, 2006) is ranked number 5. In IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's top 10 musical moments in Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
Brian ranked number 6 spot, number 5 spot and number with the songs, "The Freakin' FCC" from "PTV
PTV (Family Guy)
"PTV" is the fourteenth episode of season four of the FOX animated series Family Guy. The episode sees the FCC censor the shows on television after a controversial wardrobe malfunction at the Emmy Awards. Peter starts to create his own TV network which he calls PTV, broadcasting classic shows...
" (season 4, 2005), "Never Gonna Give You Up" from "Meet the Quagmires
Meet the Quagmires
"Meet the Quagmires" is the eighteenth episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox on May 20, 2007. The episode features Peter after he goes back in time, in order to live the single life a little longer, before he met his wife, Lois...
" (season 5, 2007) and "This House Is Freakin' Sweet" from Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater
Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater
"Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater" is the first episode of season two of Family Guy, originally aired on Fox on September 23, 1999. It guest-stars Robin Leach as himself, and Fairuza Balk as Connie D'Amico...
(season 2, 1999) respectively. Brian was ranked number 2 in IGN's Top 25 Family Guy Characters.
In other media
Brian is featured in a Family Guy parody in the South ParkSouth Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
episode "Cartoon Wars Part I
Cartoon Wars Part I
"Cartoon Wars Part I" is the third episode of the tenth season of the animated television series South Park, and the 142nd episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 5, 2006. It is part one of a two-episode story, which concludes with "Cartoon Wars Part II"...
". The scene depicted a conversation between Peter and Brian leading to one of the show's trademark cut-away gags; like Peter, Brian was rendered in South Parks distinct animation style.
Merchandise
Brian is also featured on the Family Guy: Live in VegasFamily Guy: Live in Vegas
-Reception:The album received positive reviews from music sources and critics. Rob Theakston of Allmusic said that "[Family Guy is] back and raunchier than ever, sparing no expense and leaving no pop culture stone unturned" and "without the constraints of network censors, the profanity and heat are...
CD, and plays a significant part in Family Guy Video Game!, the first Family Guy video game, which was released by 2K Games
2K Games
2K is a global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games. 2K Games is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, which also owns Rockstar Games notable for the Grand Theft Auto series...
in 2006. MacFarlane recorded exclusive material of Brian's voice and other Family Guy characters for a 2007 pinball machine of the show
Family Guy (pinball)
Family Guy is a Stern pinball machine released in 2007. It is based on the animated series of the same name. Some of the table's main features include a "TV Challenge" drop hole, a beer can giant target, an Evil Monkey's Lair ramp, and Stewie's Mini Pinball.- Gameplay :TV modes: TV modes start by...
by Stern Pinball. In 2004, the first series of Family Guy toy figurines was released by Mezco Toyz
Mezco Toyz
Mezco Toyz is a toy company that makes action figures and other collectibles based on original and licensed properties. Its most popular product is the cult hit toy line Living Dead Dolls. Other popular licensed properties include Family Guy, South Park and Hellboy...
, each member of the Griffin family had their own toy, with the exception of Stewie, of whom two different figures were made. Over the course of two years, four more series of toy figures have been released.
As of 2009, six books have been released about the Family Guy universe, all published by HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
since 2005. This include Family Guy: It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One
Family Guy: It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One
Family Guy: It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One is an American humor book about Family Guy written by executive story editor Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and writer/voice actress Alex Borstein. The book was first published on 8 May 2007...
(ISBN 978-0-7528-7593-4), which covers the entire events of the episode "It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One", and Family Guy and Philosophy: A Cure for the Petarded (ISBN 978-1-4051-6316-3), a collection of seventeen essays exploring the connections between the series and historical philosophers. which include Brian as a character.
See also
- Talking animals in fictionTalking animals in fictionTalking creatures are a common theme in mythology and folk tales, as well as children's literature. Fictional talking creatures often are anthropomorphic, possessing human-like qualities but appearing as a creature...
- Funny animalFunny animalFunny animal is a cartooning term for the genre of comics and animated cartoons in which the main characters are humanoid or talking animals, with anthropomorphic personality traits. The characters themselves may also be called funny animals...
- Author surrogateAuthor surrogateAs a literary technique, an author surrogate is a fictional character who expresses the ideas, questions, personality and morality of the author...
External links
- Brian Griffin at Fox.com