5 Recurring Characters We Haven't Seen In A Long Time (& 5 We See Way Too Often)

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10
Haven't Seen: Jake Tucker

Jake Tucker is one of the most bizarre characters on Family Guy - if not the most bizarre due to his upside-down face. His first appearance came all the way back in season one's "Brian: Portrait of a Dog," and he made subsequent appearances throughout the first eight or so seasons.

His final appearance came in the season fourteen episode "The Peanut Butter Kid," meaning Family Guy has now gone five seasons without an appearance from the upside-down-faced child.

9
Way Too Often: John Herbert

John Herbert, AKA the creepy old pedophile, may have been part of the early season 'classics.' However, since it's been over 20 years since his first appearance, fans are now debating whether the character should be retired by now.

As everyone knows, Herbert is one of the more prominent recurring supporting characters. However, the writers don't seem to realize how his character's appearance is met with diminishing results. The constant jokes about pedophilia are particularly repetitive, disturbing, and cringe-worthy. It's also a subject that shouldn't be used to garner a few laughs either.

8
Haven't Seen: Diane Simmons

Diane Simmons is one of the very few characters who has been permanently killed off. She was the main subject of season nine's "And Then There Were Fewer," as she killed James Woods, Muriel Goldman, Derek Wilcox, Priscilla, and Stephanie in a parody of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

However, that same episode also saw her death, as she is shot and killed by Stewie. It would obviously be her final appearance on the show - minus a brief cameo as one of Peter's hallucinations in season eighteen's "Coma Guy."

7
Way Too Often: Carter Pewterschmidt

Carter's constant presence on the show is understandable, as he is Lois's father. That said, Carter works far better in small amounts - typically when working as a satire against the elite upper class.

Carter was used relatively sparingly in the earlier seasons, appearing in just one or two episodes per season. However, he has since become a regular, appearing in seven episodes of season sixteen, four of season seventeen, and eight episodes of season eighteen.

6
Haven't Seen: Vern & Johnny

The show was quick to acknowledge the annoying nature of both Vern and Johnny, as Stewie breaks the fourth wall after killing them in season five's "Saving Private Brian."

They were reportedly killed off because they were being used too much and annoying viewers. However, dying didn't stop Vern and Johnny from making brief appearances. They appeared as ghosts in season six's "Back to the Woods," and they starred in the special opening of season fourteen's "A Lot Going on Upstairs."

5
Way Too Often: Dr. Hartman

Hartman is another character whose joke and novelty has run well into the ground. The major recurring joke with Hartman is that he is both wickedly incompetent as a doctor and prone to issuing verbal misunderstandings.

He first appeared all the way back in season two's "Death Is a Bitch" and has since appeared in dozens of episodes, including seven in season seventeen, seven in season eighteen, and four in season nineteen (so far). His one joke isn't that funny either.

4
Haven't Seen: Death

Death is a fantastic character, and he has been voiced by comedy legends Adam Carolla and Norm MacDonald. Unfortunately, talent like that is hard to secure, resulting in very few appearances of Death throughout the show.

His first appearance, like Hartman, came in season two's "Death Is a Bitch." He then made regular appearances throughout the first five seasons before his character slowly dwindled into the background. His last appearance was in season twelve's "3 Acts of God."

3
Way Too Often: Neil Goldman

Neil Goldman is one of the most annoying supporting characters on Family Guy owing mostly to his condescending, know-it-all attitude and stereotypical "nerdy" voice. While Neil isn't used as often as Carter or Dr. Hartman, he still makes regular appearances on the show.

He has been a recurring character since season two, and he appeared in two episodes of both season seventeen and season eighteen. It's not that much, but it's enough when a character is this annoying.

2
Haven't Seen: Horace

Horace, the grumpy bartender of The Drunken Clam, is another character who has been permanently killed off. Horace appeared in dozens of episodes throughout the first ten seasons, and his banter with the men was always good for a laugh.

Unfortunately, Horace is hit by a baseball and killed in season eleven's "Save the Clam." The death may have seemed like a one-off gimmick for the sake of an interesting story, but Horace's death and absence remained permanent.

1
Way Too Often: James Woods

Despite being "permanently" killed by Diane Simmons, James Woods later made a return in "Tom Tucker: The Man and His Dream." James Woods doesn't make many appearances, with his last being season fifteen's "Inside Family Guy."

However, the James Woods subplot has been well-trod by this point, and the novelty of having James Woods on the show has long worn off (appearing in eight episodes will do that). His presence now veers on the annoying.