Smiling Friends — creators end 'smiling friends' after Season 3

Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel have announced that their animated comedy smiling friends will conclude after its third season, a decision the pair said stems from creative exhaustion and a desire to stop at a high point. The creators revealed the news in a video posted to the network’s social account and said the show’s final rollout will include two unreleased Season 3 episodes on April 12 at 11 p. m. ET.

How the announcement was delivered by Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel

Cusack and Hadel, who co-created and star in the series, delivered the news in a short recorded message. Hadel opened by saying he would "cut right to the chase" and insisted the decision was not a joke, announcing that the show would end when Season 3 is finished. The pair framed the choice as theirs, and Cusack described the conversation as difficult to record because of how disappointing it would be for fans.

Burnout, feeling accomplished and the push to "go out on top"

Cusack said that after completing Season 3 both he and Hadel felt "pretty burnt out" after putting years into the project, while also feeling "pretty accomplished, " leading them to decide that "that could just be it. " Hadel said the two had wanted from the start to give the series their full "110%" and to end it rather than continue half‑heartedly, preferring to leave the audience wanting more rather than producing work they felt was substandard.

Two unreleased Season 3 episodes set for April 12 at 11 p. m. ET

The creators announced that two unreleased episodes from Season 3 will air on April 12 at 11 p. m. ET. Both Cusack and Hadel emphasized these installments are not intended as series finales; Hadel described them as small leftover pieces from the season rollout, calling them "little stragglers" and likening them to "little rogue planets" rather than big concluding episodes. Season 3 itself launched in October, the creators noted.

Earlier pickup for seasons four and five and what the creators had been planning

Despite the decision to stop at Season 3, the show had previously been picked up in June for seasons four and five. Cusack and Hadel said that, back around the Season 3 premiere in October, they had already written two episodes for a new season and had discussed evaluating how they felt after a potential Season 5. Cusack joked that even their agents expected the show to run indefinitely—"even our agents think we’re going to go to season 80"—and compared the idea of ending on a peak to a band finishing with a landmark album. Both creators also said they would not want to hand the project to other creatives, calling themselves "control freak‑y" about the series.

Network response and the door left open to future Smiling Friends projects

The network conveyed support for the creators’ choice, saying it respected and backed their decision to close the show with the remaining Season 3 episodes and expressing pride in what Cusack and Hadel built. Executives made clear they were sad to see the series end but that the creators could come back in the future if they wished. Cusack reiterated that the choice was their own and that while no additional seasons are planned, the pair left the possibility of future projects tied to the universe open—mentioning collaboration on other projects and leaving "the door slightly open to a special or something along those lines. " He also said that, though representatives and the network assumed the show might continue for many more seasons, the creators know what’s best and preferred to leave audiences wanting more rather than diminishing the show’s quality.

The show’s premise and current status

Smiling Friends, which debuted in 2022, centers on co‑workers Charlie (voiced by Hadel) and Pim (voiced by Cusack) as they try to bring positivity into others’ lives. With the creators' decision to end the series after Season 3, the two remaining Season 3 episodes will serve as the last new installments for now, even as Cusack and Hadel keep open the possibility of returning to the characters in another form.

Vritti Johar is an entertainment and pop culture writer who covers film and related storytelling topics.