American Dad! is the Seth MacFarlane side project that some people may have forgotten if they don't watch TBS. However, despite a network change and some shifts in their creative staff, American Dad! has been going strong almost as long as Family Guy and has kept its story fresh with constant evolution.
This has meant more experimental writing challenges, greater fantasy arcs, and whatever this series is trying to do with Santa Claus. However, while evolution is synonymous with progress, it also requires some things to die. While American Dad! may not be as dark as Family Guy (with alternate realities and time travel, death is kind of meaningless for the Smiths), the series has had a few character deaths that hit the fans hard - and a few that may have missed the mark.
10 No One Cared About: Brett Morris
Brett Morris was Stan's atheist turned Satanist friend from Season 3. After finding out that he actually has no friends, Stan manages to find a person that he can have fun with and agree with on almost every subject (that isn't religion). Sadly, Brett wouldn't appear much in the series to really reward Stan's experience.
His latest appearance was in the infamous "100 A.D." episode, in which the series killed off 100 "beloved" characters. While Brett was brought back to life by Satan in the episode "Dope and Faith," that same luxury didn't carry over after his second death.
9 Surprised Us: "Millionaire" Matt Davis
For a while, American Dad! didn't know quite what to do with Jeff Fischer. He is the series classic "stoner" character whose on-again/off-again relationship with Hayley was his main crux until the two actually got married. However, even then, the series didn't have that many ideas for him and kind of put his character on pause by sending him to space.
During that interim, Hayley dated quite a few people, including a handsome entrepreneur and humanitarian by the name of "Millionaire" Matt Davis. He was supposed to be Hayley's big push to fully letting Jeff go; and when she fully decides to move on, Roger arrives. Because there are no real lessons or changes in comedy, Roger kills Matt Davis to help cover up a previous murder.
8 No One Cared About: Beauregard LaFontaine
Like Brett Morris, Beauregard LaFontaine is another side character that died in "100 A.D." However, unlike Brett Morris, Beauregard was an actual recurring character used in a couple of bits. In the episode "Star Trek," he's revealed to be Langley Falls' most coveted hairstylist who Francine desperately wants to get an appointment with.
In "Irregarding Steve," he returned to mock Steve and Roger when they were parodying Midnight Cowboy. Though he did appear quite a bit, LaFontaine never really connected with the fans and his archetype was a little too strange to do any other substantial bits with.
7 Surprised Us: Snot's Dad
While Snot's Dad, Lonnie Lonstein, was never officially shown in the series, he was still given an oddly impactful send-off in the episode "Independent Movie." Schmuely "Snot" Lonstein is Steve's best friend whose life has been filled with hardships. This is due to his mother's wild lifestyle and his father's constant absence.
Though Lonnie wouldn't actually debut until after his death, Snot's tragic life always kept him interesting and relevant. When he died off-screen, there was plenty of on-screen drama and bits that helped his character matter.
6 No One Cared About: John Sanders
Despite a good portion of the series taking place at Langley Falls' branch of the CIA, Stan Smith doesn't have a lot of consistent coworkers. While a lot of this is due to the fast and dangerous lifestyle of a CIA agent, this is mostly because the series didn't have a lot of ideas past Avery Bullock for consistent characters.
That's why when John Sanders, one of Stan's longest-lasting friends and one of the CIA's most recurring characters, dies, it's mentioned off-screen. Who knows if the same fate will follow Jackson, Lorraine, or even Reginald the Koala?
5 Surprised Us: Turlington
Turlington is one of the series' best gag characters. Whenever there's a mystery afoot, no matter how minute and tame, he'll always appear to make the Smiths feel like they're being hunted down. This is despite Turlington himself being a very slow and complacent police officer who will literally take a case on missing pistachios.
He died in the episode "The Hall Monitor and the Lunch Lady," when he got too close to closing a case on hall monitor corruption. However, it should be noted that he does go by a different first name every time he appears, meaning that Turlington may have identical family members/siblings. While this is the first time he's ever actually died, he might just be one of many Turlington Detectives.
4 No One Cared About: Miriam Bullock
It's very easy to forget about Miriam Bullock and the fact that she once took care of Avery Bullock's adopted baby. Given Avery's constant debauchery and the fact that he never mentions them, it always seems like he's living the fast life of an amoral bachelor (Patrick Stewart sure can go). However, she did play a pivotal role in "One Little Word," in which Stan saves her from overseas to reunite her with Avery, only to find out that he's having an affair.
After this episode, she'd be mentioned offhandedly across the series and appeared to have her own fair share of affairs according to Bullock. The series wouldn't confirm her death until the episode "Ricky Spanish," in which, Roger's most evil character kills her on screen.
3 Surprised Us: Father Donovan
Before the series delved into intergalactic hijinks and battles with the Krampus, it used to be a modern-day version of All in the Family, parodying Conservative values in a way that only cartoons can. A pivotal part of the commentary was Father Donovan. He was the priest presiding over the Smiths' local church, whose own life was filled with a lot of religious disillusionment.
This made him a callous character who always seemed to put down Stan's beliefs more than support them. Father Donovan died in the holiday special, "Season's Beatings," in which he died in fantastic fashion helping the Smiths hunt down the Anti-Christ.
2 No One Cared About: Dr. Ray Petit
Dr. Ray Petit is a new recurring character and the CIA's own, personal therapist. Because Roger is seemingly done with his Dr. Penguin character, Dr. Ray has been the one taking on Stan's recent, emotional dilemmas head-on. This included resolving his issues with a near-death experience, his childhood trauma with the Harlem Globetrotters, and a very startling event involving some faulty escalators.
While helping Stan with his various issues is a story of its own, his main gag in the series is actually dying in every episode he appears in, only to return in the next episode that he's needed. This kind of takes away the impact of each of his deaths, but it's always interesting to hear each cooky, new way that the CIA uses to bring him back.
1 Surprised Us: Jack Smith
Jack Smith is one of the most pivotal side characters in the series. While Stan may appear like an unstable character, this is only because of the unstable lifestyle that his con artist father nurtured. Opposite to Stan's law and order nature, Jack Smith was a criminal who's been on the run for years. Every now and then, he seemingly reconnects with the Smiths only to fall back into the criminal lifestyle.
The series even turned him into the Krampus during one of their holiday episodes, though this storyline didn't go anywhere. It wouldn't be until the latest season in "Ghost Dad" that the series would actually kill him off after he's gunned down after a robbery. While Jack hasn't been used much in the series, he's always made an impactful impression whenever he does appear. The only saving grace after his death is the idea that the creators might just keep him as a ghost for future episodes.
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