--- title: "Life of Brian (S12E06) | familyguy.co.uk" canonical: "https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e06-life-of-brian/" updatedDate: 2026-09-06 author: Alex Moss description: "Life of Brian: Family Guy season 12 episode 6 (S12E06), first aired 24 November 2013. Writer and director credits." --- # Life of Brian Episode 6 of Family Guy season 12 (S12E06), the 216th Family Guy episode overall. Written by Alex Carter and directed by Joseph Lee. First broadcast on 24 November 2013. ## Story Brian and Stewie flee an altered timeline created when Stewie armed the attackers at Jamestown, and put history back. Shaken, Stewie takes the time machine to the junkyard and destroys it, and the pair bring home a street hockey net. Setting it up outside, Brian is struck by a car and dies of his injuries with the family around him. Stewie cannot rebuild the machine to save him, and a funeral is held. A month on, Lois decides the family needs another dog, and Peter chooses Vinny, an Italian greyhound who quickly wins the household over. Stewie sets out to discredit him, but relents when Vinny talks about losing his own previous owner, and accepts him. Vinny settles down to sleep beside Stewie's bed. ## Production and reception - The writer Steve Callaghan told E! that the idea came out of the writers' room and that the staff at once began planning how the change would alter the family dynamic. ([Wikipedia: Life of Brian (Family Guy)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_Brian_(Family_Guy))) - Callaghan said the dog was chosen because a road accident involving a pet was more plausible, and losing one of the children would have been far more traumatic. ([Wikipedia: Life of Brian (Family Guy)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_Brian_(Family_Guy))) - Tony Sirico was cast as Vinny at Seth MacFarlane's suggestion, MacFarlane being an admirer of his work on The Sopranos. ([Wikipedia: Life of Brian (Family Guy)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_Brian_(Family_Guy))) - A Change.org petition calling for Brian to be brought back appeared within hours of the broadcast on 24 November 2013 and gathered thousands of signatures. Some viewers had memorial tattoos done. ([Wikipedia: Life of Brian (Family Guy)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_Brian_(Family_Guy))) - Eric Thurm of The A.V. Club graded it A minus and found the death scene close to genuinely moving. Nielsen figures put the audience at 4.58 million with a 2.2 rating. ([Wikipedia: Life of Brian (Family Guy)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_Brian_(Family_Guy))) ## Facts | Fact | Detail | | --- | --- | | Season | 12 | | Episode | 6 of 21 | | Overall | No. 216 | | Code | S12E06 | | First aired | 24 November 2013 | | Directed by | Joseph Lee | | Written by | Alex Carter | | Production code | BACX05 | | Source | Wikipedia: Family Guy season 12 | | Wikidata | Q15230479 | | IMDb | tt3304810 | | Verification | Checked against Wikidata and IMDb: title, date, numbering and credits agree | | US viewers | 4.58 million | ## Voices | Voice | Characters | | --- | --- | | Seth MacFarlane | Peter Griffin, Brian Griffin, Stewie Griffin | | Alex Borstein | Lois Griffin, Witch | | Seth Green | Chris Griffin | | Mila Kunis | Meg Griffin | | John G. Brennan | Mort Goldman | | Yvette Nicole Brown | Black Woman | | Ted Jessup | Albino | Principal voice credits as recorded by IMDb, which lists up to ten credits per episode, so recurring characters can be missing here. Guest voices below come from Wikipedia and TVmaze. ### Guest voices - Yvette Nicole Brown as Black Woman with a Purse - Tony Sirico as Vinny - Rachael MacFarlane as 1920's Woman ## Links - Season: [12](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/season-12/) - Source: [Wikipedia: Family Guy season 12](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Guy_season_12) - Wikidata: [Q15230479](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15230479) - IMDb: [tt3304810](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3304810/) - US viewers: [4.58 million](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_Brian_(Family_Guy)) ## Navigation - Previous: [S12E05 Boopa-dee Bappa-dee](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e05-boopa-dee-bappa-dee/) - Next: [S12E07 Into Harmony's Way](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e07-into-harmonys-way/) - Season hub: [Season 12](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/season-12/) - All episodes: [Family Guy episode guide](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/) ## Season 12: episode 6 of 21 - S12E01 [Finders Keepers](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e01-finders-keepers/) - S12E02 [Vestigial Peter](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e02-vestigial-peter/) - S12E03 [Quagmire's Quagmire](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e03-quagmires-quagmire/) - S12E04 [A Fistful of Meg](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e04-a-fistful-of-meg/) - S12E05 [Boopa-dee Bappa-dee](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e05-boopa-dee-bappa-dee/) - S12E06 Life of Brian (this entry) - S12E07 [Into Harmony's Way](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e07-into-harmonys-way/) - S12E08 [Christmas Guy](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e08-christmas-guy/) - S12E09 [Peter Problems](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e09-peter-problems/) - S12E10 [Grimm Job](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e10-grimm-job/) - S12E11 [Brian's a Bad Father](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e11-brians-a-bad-father/) - S12E12 [Mom's the Word](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e12-moms-the-word/) - S12E13 [3 Acts of God](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e13-3-acts-of-god/) - S12E14 [Fresh Heir](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e14-fresh-heir/) - S12E15 [Secondhand Spoke](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e15-secondhand-spoke/) - S12E16 [Herpe the Love Sore](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e16-herpe-the-love-sore/) - S12E17 [The Most Interesting Man in the World](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e17-the-most-interesting-man-in-the-world/) - S12E18 [Baby Got Black](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e18-baby-got-black/) - S12E19 [Meg Stinks!](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e19-meg-stinks/) - S12E20 [He's Bla-ack!](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e20-hes-bla-ack/) - S12E21 [Chap Stewie](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s12e21-chap-stewie/) --- Unofficial fan resource. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FOX, Disney, or Fuzzy Door Productions.