For decades, Peter, Lois, Meg, Chris, Stewie, and Brian have become the biggest animated family on Fox, thanks to Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy. Throughout the legendary show’s history, there have been quite a few different characters who made some wild appearances but were relegated to a state of limbo. With the series showing no signs of stopping anytime soon, we looked through the history of the Fox animated series to find three important characters who have been gone for years. Despite being absent for quite a few seasons, these figures are well deserving of a comeback, especially with Family Guy preparing to unveil a Stewie-focused spin-off.
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3.) Patrick Pewterschimdt
Last Appearance: “Killer Queen,” Season 10, Episode 16
Lois’s brother is one of the most interesting Family Guy characters who has completely disappeared and been in limbo for close to fifteen years. What you might not know about Patrick is that when he first appeared in the fourth season, he was voiced by none other than Robert Downey Jr, Marvel’s Iron Man and soon-to-be Dr. Doom. Unlike other characters that have been a part of the series, Pewterschmidt was a murderer, being revealed to be none other than the “Fat Guy Strangler,” tormenting a certain sect of the population of Quahog. RDJ didn’t stay in the role of Patrick Pewterschmidt, handing off the baton to voice actor Oliver Vaquer in the tenth season. While Patrick was proven to be innocent during “Killer Queen” of crimes he didn’t commit, Lois’s brother has yet to return to the series and leaves a major question open when it comes to the Pewterschmidt bloodline. Whether he returns as a serial killer, it would be interesting to learn what Patrick has been up to ever since he disappeared from the series in 2012.
2.) Jasper
Last Appearance: “Customer of the Week,” Season 19, Episode 15
Brian’s origin story is something that has been revisited quite a few times in Family Guy’s history, as viewers have learned more about the Griffin family dog. Like many other characters in the show’s history, Jasper began as something of a one-off joke, only to return time and again to further flesh out his character while presenting a very different side to Brian’s womanizing ways. The effeminate pooch mostly acted as a shoulder for Brian to lean on, and while he didn’t have a family of his own like the Griffins, Jasper always felt like he had everything worked out in his life. Randomly appearing throughout the series, Jasper even attended Brian’s funeral when Family Guy decided to kill the family hound. Luckily, Brian was resurrected, though the funeral was the last major time we saw Jasper in the series before he would disappear, relegated to small cameos. Considering Jasper is voiced by Seth MacFarlane himself, bringing him back for more screen time seems like an easy enough task to pull off, and fingers crossed we’ll see Brian’s cousin make a comeback in the near future.
1.) Jake Tucker
Last Appearance: “The Peanut Butter Kid”, Season 14, Episode 11
Much like Jasper, Jake Tucker, son of Tom Tucker, first started as a one-off joke but quickly became a noteworthy supporting character who would reappear in Family Guy throughout its earlier seasons. Even if you aren’t familiar with Jake, the image above should show you that he is quite the striking character from the long-running Fox series thanks to his upside-down face. While Jake wasn’t a serial killer like Lois’s brother, Tom’s son would routinely find himself getting into high school hijinks that saw him land in serious trouble. The last time we saw Jake Tucker in action was in 2016, meaning it’s been over ten years since the joke character was front and center in the Fox series. Certainly, if nothing else, Jake could use more characterization that could be highlighted with more screen time, as Family Guy is confirmed for several new seasons that will follow Quahog for years to come.
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