Brown has a reputation for attracting and graduating not only the brightest scholars in the country, but also some of the most unique. The University can count among its alums a professional horseshoer-turned-U.S. senator (Lincoln Chafee '75), a sports anchor known for his outrageous style of commentary (Chris Berman '77) and a tenor whose band is best known for singing the theme to the show "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" (Rockapella founder Sean Altman '83).
The University may soon be able to add a personality far more unique to the list: a talking dog.
On Sunday night, the well-spoken canine Brian Griffin ('05.5?) of Fox's hit animated show "Family Guy" will return to Brown to complete his college education, with Stewie, the baby bent on world domination, tagging along with him.
"In the episode, Brian gets a job with the New Yorker and loses the job because they find out he didn't finish college," said David Goodman, executive producer of "Family Guy." "So he goes back to Brown to finish his degree because he's been hiding that for a while."
Sunday night's show, titled "Brian Goes Back to College," will mark the second time Brown has been prominently featured on "Family Guy." The University made its first appearance in the episode "The Story on Page One," which aired July 18, 2000. In that episode, the Griffins visit the campus because teenage daughter Meg is interested in applying to the University. Brian reminisces about his alma mater while standing before the Van Wickle Gates, saying "there's something magical about Brown," even though he was a victim of "speciesism" as an undergraduate. Stewie tries to impress a group of girls on Pembroke Quad by telling them of his membership in the fictitious fraternity "I Felt-a Thigh."
Brown has been featured on "Family Guy" because the show takes place in Rhode Island and because two of the show's principals are familiar with the University, Goodman said. Show creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane, who also voices three main characters, graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1995, and writer Danny Smith grew up in the state.
Goodman said Brown was featured over other Rhode Island colleges and universities - including MacFarlane's alma mater - because of its "snob appeal."
"There's sort of a snobbery aspect to Brown - it's an Ivy League school," he said. "There are no snobs at RISD - well, at least not the same type of snobs."
Goodman told The Herald that "Family Guy" writers did no research on Brown and did not contact anyone to get permission to feature the University. However, artists did look at photographs of campus to ground the art in reality.
Brian is the second animated television character (and first non-human) to attend Brown; school bus driver Otto of "The Simpsons" attended the University and narrowly missed gaining tenure as a Brown professor.
"Family Guy" airs 9 p.m. Sunday on Fox.
