Pop Rocks: 5 Lead TV Characters We'd Rather Kill Than...That Other Guy

Up against the wall, Arliss.

Offing a beloved television figure isn't an uncommon tactic (even if most programs wait until two or three seasons in to start swinging the axe, so to speak). Some we saw coming (Dr. Mark Greene in ER, Lem on The Shield) some were mild surprises (Adriana, The Sopranos) and a few were full-on jaw droppers (Col. Henry Blake, everyone). But by and large, those whose deaths we remember were well-liked.

There are exceptions (Locke from Lost, Dr. Romano in ER...man, they killed a lot of people), but looking back at the more notable names, I feel a general sense of remorse. At least, as much remorse as I'm capable of generating for imaginary caricatures passing themselves off as real people.

But you rarely see a show's primary protagonist bite the big one, for what I hope would be obvious reasons. I maintain this is unfair, and would like to rectify that with these suggestions. And a time machine.

Alf, ALF

The only redeeming quality of the titular Alien Life Form was his propensity for eating cats. Everything else smacked of an episode built around your grandfather bitching about that goddamn Roosevelt. If I'd suspected life on other worlds consisted of crotchety old men, I'd have joined NASA with the express purpose of nuking every M-class planet from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

Aggravating Factors Mr Tanner bears an uncanny physical (and verbal) resemblance to serial mewler Joe Lieberman.

Method Of Execution: Vivisected by Men in Black at Area 51. Wearing giant cat suits.

Blossom, Blossom

This was a little past my time, but I can thank my younger sister and her friends for alerting me to the show's presence. You know a TV series is especially reprehensible when 14-year-old girls hate it. Watching the intro, one couldn't escape that sinking feeling that the '90s were really going to suck.

Aggravating Factors: Joey. Six. The British kid. That "Blossom fashion sense."

Method Of Execution: Suffocated by that goddamned tie skirt.

Arliss Michaels, Arli$$

Seven seasons. HBO axed Deadwood after less than half that many, but Arli$$ remains one of the network's longest running series because a handful of Van Earl Wright fans convinced HBO they'd cancel their subscriptions if the network canceled the show. Well played, liars.

Aggravating Factors: I'm hard pressed to come up with any role Robert Wuhl has played that didn't set my teeth on edge. That's his shtick, and it's worked for him, but as Leon said in Blade Runner, "Time to die."

Method Of Execution: Slow dehydration in a Turkish sauna with Chris Berman, Regis Philbin and Tommy Lasorda.