Adult Swim Smiling Friends to End After Season 3 — What This Means for the Creators, Crew and Future Projects

For fans and animation workers alike, the decision to close out adult swim smiling friends after its third season changes the immediate landscape: production stops despite earlier renewals, two leftover episodes arrive in April, and the creators are stepping back by choice. The move reorients where the series’ energy and personnel might flow next rather than offering a traditional series finale.

What the decision signals about the show’s future

Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel framed the ending as a deliberate creative decision rather than a forced cancellation. They said they felt burnt out after completing Season 3 but also accomplished, and that they preferred to stop while the show was strong rather than continue half‑heartedly. The pair emphasized this was "our decision, " and described wanting to go out on top and leave audiences wanting more.

Notably, this choice comes even though the series had previously been renewed for Seasons 4 and 5. The creators also said the network has been supportive of their decision and has left open the possibility that they could return in the future if they choose to. They indicated they will continue to work together and have moved into related activity outside the immediate series.

How the announcement was shared and what will still air

The creators revealed the news in a post to Adult Swim’s X account; the format of that post is unclear in the provided context. Alongside the announcement, Cusack and Hadel said two unreleased Season 3 episodes will air on April 12 on Adult Swim. Those installments were described as "little stragglers" and explicitly characterized as not being series finales. One report cited an April 12 premiere time of 11 p. m.

Season 3 itself concluded its run on the network on Nov. 30 after an eight‑episode order.

Creators’ reasoning, tone and gratitude

The creators explained they had aimed to give the show their maximum effort—"110%"—and preferred ending the series rather than diluting quality. They were candid about fatigue from years of nonstop work and about not wanting to produce content they would consider "slop. " At the same time, both thanked fans for their support, citing fan art, costumes and memes as evidence of the show’s reach and describing the experience as the "ride of a lifetime. "

They also urged other series to hire the Smiling Friends crew, signaling concern for the team’s next steps.

Where the talent and IP could go from here

The duo has signaled they will remain active together; they and producer Aron Fromm have formed an independent animation company called Zam Studios based in Los Angeles. Creators left the door open to revisiting the series in other formats—a special or sporadic new episodes—while not committing to further seasons. Production credits for the series list Williams Street as the producing company, and episodes are made available to stream on HBO Max the day after airing.

• Season 3 run ended on Nov. 30 (eight episodes completed).
• Two unreleased Season 3 episodes will air April 12 on Adult Swim; one report gives an 11 p. m. premiere time.
• The show had been renewed for Seasons 4 and 5 but will stop after Season 3 by the creators' choice.

Here’s the part that matters: the immediate output stops, but several vectors remain—leftover episodes, the creators’ new studio, and the network’s openness to future returns—so the story is paused more than erased. The real question now is whether creators will reconvene the brand in a special or limited form down the line.

What’s easy to miss is that the public messaging framed this as a quality‑control decision rather than bitterness with the network; that distinction matters for how the team and IP might be rehired or redeployed by others in the business.

Practical implications for viewers and the crew

Fans will see two additional Season 3 episodes on April 12 and should expect those installments are not positioned as a finale. Crew members may find near‑term opportunities through the creators’ Zam Studios or the broader industry interest the show generated—Cusack and Hadel explicitly encouraged hiring their crew. For streamers and catalogue holders, the series will continue to exist on HBO Max where episodes are available after airing.

Editorial aside: this feels like a creators‑led sunset more than a hard cancellation, and that nuance often shapes whether a property returns in limited form years later or is quietly shelved.