Smiling Friends Cancelled as Creators End Series After Season 3
Smiling Friends Cancelled: Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel announced that their Adult Swim animated comedy will end after its third season, citing burnout after years of work and saying the choice was theirs; two unreleased Season 3 episodes will air April 12.
How the creators broke the news
The announcement came in a recorded message posted to Adult Swim's X account. Zach Hadel opened by saying, "This is not a bit, " and made clear the pair were serious that the show would stop after Season 3. Michael Cusack said both creators felt "pretty burnt out after putting years and years into this, " while also feeling accomplished and ready to step away. Cusack described the decision as "our decision, " and said Adult Swim had been supportive of taking a break or possibly returning in the future.
Smiling Friends Cancelled and two final episodes set for April 12
Hadel and Cusack said two unreleased Season 3 episodes will air on April 12 on Adult Swim. Hadel called the installments "not finales, " instead describing them as "little stragglers" or "rogue planets" that didn't fit into the initial season rollout and are not thematically tied to a concluding storyline.
Why they chose to stop now
Both creators stressed a desire to give the show their full effort. Hadel said from the outset they wanted to put "110%" into the series and "go out on top, " leaving fans wanting more rather than running the show into the ground. Cusack and Hadel said they would not want to produce further seasons half-heartedly or while burned out, arguing it would be unfair to the audience to deliver inferior episodes—language in their message warned against giving viewers what they described bluntly as "fucking slop. " They also said they are unlikely to hand the project to other creatives, with Cusack calling themselves "control freak-y" over the show.
Where the show stood before the decision and what’s next
Smiling Friends debuted in 2022 and follows co-workers Charlie (voiced by Zach Hadel) and Pim (voiced by Michael Cusack) as they attempt to spread positivity. Season 3, produced by Williams Street, reportedly ran eight episodes and ended its Adult Swim run on Nov. 30. The third season finds Pim, Charlie, Flint and the rest of the cast "going absolutely bonkers, " the creators said. The series had previously been picked up for additional seasons in earlier renewals, but the creators chose to stop after Season 3 despite that prior pickup. An earlier note from the creators said they had already written two episodes for a potential new season, and they had planned to reassess how they felt after later seasons; that writing work was completed before this decision.
Broadly, the creators thanked fans for embracing the show—pointing to fan art, costumes and memes—and urged other productions to hire members of the Smiling Friends crew. They also said they will continue working together; in October they and producer Aron Fromm launched a new independent animation company called Zam Studios. The context indicates the series has performed strongly on streaming, described as one of Adult Swim's top-performing shows on HBO Max outside of Rick and Morty. The item that Smiling Friends is "available to stream the following day on HBO Max" is noted in the context, though the specific day is unclear in the provided context.
Adult Swim issued a statement praising the creators' bold vision and saying the network respects and supports their decision to close the series with the two remaining Season 3 episodes. The network added it looks forward to the possibility of collaborating with the pair again.
The next confirmed event is the airing of the two unreleased Season 3 episodes on April 12 on Adult Swim; beyond that, the creators say a future return is possible but not scheduled.
