5. Adam West
The reasoning put forward by Family Guy's writers for killing off one of their main characters was to "shake things up" - true enough, after 14 years on (and off) our screens, the show has grown a little stale. The decision to kill Brian, one of Family Guy's biggest characters, certainly has achieved the effect of shaking things up, given that so many dynamics have now changed, but the only problem is, as it has since transpired, Brian was too popular a character to have bumped off. The writers could have shaken things up without killing Brian by writing out a more peripheral character, such as Mayor Adam West, instead. Think about it - his death would have had huge ramifications for Quahog, least of all who would replace him as Mayor, which would have been an intriguing plot to have explored. West also doesn't add much to the show aside from gags about his senility and incompetence in office, the latter of which, actually, warrants his bumping off.