Smiling Friends to End After Season 3 — What Ends, What Can Come Next for the Creators and Crew

This matters because the creators who built the show's distinct voice are choosing to stop at what they call the right moment, and that decision reshuffles plans for future seasons, the team, and the series’ short-term availability. The creators announced that smiling friends will end after Season 3, but two unreleased Season 3 episodes will air April 12 and the network has left the door open for a possible return.

Immediate consequences for production and future episodes of Smiling Friends

The most direct change: the series will not proceed into active production on Seasons 4 and 5 despite earlier pickup plans. The creators emphasized this was their decision and said they felt burned out after years of work; the network has expressed support and indicated the duo could come back later if they wished. The pair also said they would not want to hand the project off to other creatives, describing themselves as control-focused about the show’s direction.

What was announced and what viewers will actually see

The creators revealed the news in a message posted to the network’s social account. They confirmed two unreleased Season 3 episodes will air on April 12; those episodes are described as extras rather than finales, characterized by the creators as "little stragglers" or "little rogue planets" that didn’t fit the initial rollout and are not thematically related to a final arc. Season 3 itself consisted of eight episodes and completed its run on the network on Nov. 30.

Where the show stood and how it performed

The series debuted in 2022 and centers on co-workers Charlie (voiced by Zach Hadel) and Pim (voiced by Michael Cusack) trying to bring positivity into people’s lives. Season 3 finds Pim, Charlie, Flint and the whole gang escalating into chaotic attempts to spread joy. The show has been produced by the network’s in-house production company and has been one of the block’s top-performing titles on the streaming platform outside of a leading franchise mentioned by the creators.

• Two unreleased Season 3 episodes will air April 12; they are not designed as finales.
• Season 3 ran eight episodes and ended its run on Nov. 30.
• The show debuted in 2022 and features Pim (Cusack), Charlie (Hadel), and Flint among its cast.
• Though previously picked up for additional seasons, the creators chose to stop after Season 3.
• The network publicly expressed support for the creators’ decision and openness to future collaboration.

What this means for the creators’ next moves and the crew

Aside from the April 12 airings, the creators said they will continue to work together and remain open to other projects. In a separate development revealed in October, the duo and producer Aron Fromm launched a Los Angeles–based independent animation studio called Zam Studios. The creators also urged other shows to hire the Smiling Friends crew, signaling a likely redistribution of talent to other projects in the near term.

If you’re wondering why this keeps coming up: the creators framed the choice as intentional rather than forced — they wanted to go out on a high note rather than continue while burned out. They compared ending on a peak to notable artistic closures and noted that external parties expected much longer runs; their agents even imagined many more seasons.

What’s easy to miss is the combination of creative fatigue and protective control over the title: they may revive the series later, but for now they’ve opted to stop after Season 3 while preserving choice.

Short timeline and immediate signals to watch

• 2022 — Series debut.
• October (season rollout) — Season 3 launched; creators had written additional episodes in that period.
• Nov. 30 — Season 3 completed its run on the network (eight episodes total).
• April 12 — Two unreleased Season 3 episodes scheduled to air; these are not finales.

Here’s the part that matters: the network’s support and the creators’ new studio presence mean the show’s creative DNA could reappear in other forms even as the formal series pauses. The real question now is whether the creators will choose to return to the series on their own terms or keep channeling the team’s energy into new projects.

It’s easy to overlook, but saving a show from a slow, tired run can preserve its reputation and make any future revival feel purposeful rather than obligatory.