Family Guy thought it would be fun to kill off a major character last night

Last night saw the shocking death of a beloved television character whose exterior hid a genuine humanity—but enough about Boardwalk Empire. For those who regard Family Guy as a show capable of generating a semblance of continuity, Sunday’s [spoiler alert]-necessitating episode “Life Of Brian” threw fans for a loop by killing off Brian, the series’ longtime voice of reason and quasi-intellectual references, in a sequence that approached a rare poignancy for the show and actually seemed rather permanent, at least for the short term. Producer Steve Callaghan talked about it with E!, saying the staff had decided to kill off arguably its most likable character as “a fun way to shake things up”—and they certainly seem to have accomplished that, judging by the comments on the interview, which range from “You are KILLING THE SHOW!!!!!!!!” to “THE WRITERS IF [SIC] THIS SHOW ARE DEAD TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” to some that are really upset.