Smiling Friends: creators end smiling friends after Season 3

Creators Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel announced that the animated comedy smiling friends will end after its third season. The pair revealed the decision in a video posted to a social account and said they felt burned out even as they felt creatively accomplished.

Why the creators quit

Zach Hadel opened the recorded announcement by saying, “I’m gonna cut right to the chase. This is not a bit, this is not a joke. Michael and I are here to announce that ‘Smiling Friends’ will be ending after Season 3 is done. ” Michael Cusack said, “To be perfectly honest, after we finished Season 3, Zach and I just both had the same feeling where we felt pretty burnt out after putting years and years into this, but also pretty accomplished. We just came to this feeling where we were like, ‘I think that could just be it, ’ after Season 3. ”

Creators' standards and intent

Hadel said that from the start they wanted to put “110%” into Smiling Friends and “go out on top. ” He argued it was better to leave the audience “wanting more” than to have fans think, “‘That show is still on the air? Oh god. ’” He added, “We wouldn’t want to be doing more seasons half-hearted or burnt out or not feeling it. That’s not fair to us, and it’s not fair to the audience to give you guys fucking slop. That sucks. ”

Smiling Friends: two unaired episodes

The creators announced that two unreleased Season 3 episodes will air April 12. Hadel clarified the installments are “not finales, ” calling them “little stragglers” that didn’t make it into the initial season rollout and elsewhere describing them as “not big finales” but “little rogue planets out there” created as part of the season that launched in October. Another note in coverage said the two final episodes will air this spring and that they are part of the completed Season 3 order.

Network reaction and future options

Cusack said ending Smiling Friends was “our decision, ” and that the network had been “very supportive. ” He recalled that when they told the network, “If you’re not feeling like making a cartoon, we’re not going to stop you. Go have a break. Either come back or don’t. ” He said, “We could come back in the future and make more episodes if we want, if we feel like it. And they’ve been super cool and said they would let us do that. But maybe not. Who knows?” One statement noted, “We are sad to see this series come to an end. ”

Series history and creators' plans

The animated show debuted in 2022 and centers on co-workers Charlie, voiced by Hadel, and Pim, voiced by Cusack, who attempt to bring positivity into the lives of others. An exclusive in June said the animated series had previously been picked up for seasons four and five. The creators had already written two episodes for a new season and said they would evaluate how they felt after season five. Cusack previously said, “We pretty much can guarantee it’s not going to go on as much as these other shows, ” and Hadel added, “Even if we had a thousand ideas at the end of season five, we’re not going to go on long. ” Cusack also noted, “Even our agents think we’re going to go to season 80. ”

Parting words to fans

Cusack acknowledged the announcement would disappoint fans: “We know this is very disappointing. It’s been very hard to even record this recording for it because it’s just a very difficult thing to say for us. We hope you understand and we hope you’ve enjoyed what we’ve done. It’s been amazing. The fans have been so good. It’s been the best. It’s been the ride of a lifetime. But I hope you see where we are coming from. ” The creators left open the possibility of future projects connected to the show, saying they might collaborate again or leave “the door slightly open to a special or something along those lines. ”

Vritti Johar is noted in one context as an Entertainment and Pop Culture writer at Evolve Media and was named in background coverage of the announcement.

Two additional Season 3 episodes will air April 12; the creators have ended the series after Season 3 while leaving the possibility of returning in some form.