After just three seasons, the Adult Swim animated series “Smiling Friends” has come to an end.
On Feb. 26, creators of the high-rising show Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack announced that “Smiling Friends” will end after Season 3.
For many fans, this came as a shock considering the show was set on a contract with Adult Swim for two more years.
“This was our decision,” Cusack said in an announcement. “When we told them (Adult Swim) exactly this, they said, you know, ‘If you’re not feeling like making a cartoon, we’re not going to stop you. Either go have a break, either come back or don’t.’”
Whether the show will come back is uncertain, but one certainty for many fans is that it’s sad to see “Smiling Friends” end.
The show was a unique concept and a humorous refresher from other animated shows such as “Rick and Morty,” “Family Guy,” “South Park” and “American Dad” to name a few.
The show deviates far-off from other “adult humor” animated shows. “Smiling Friends” has a niche humor to it; either you love the show or hate it. There are a wide variety of reasons why someone may enjoy this show or only watch one short episode and turn it off.
To start, each episode revolves around a company called Smiling Friends, Inc. set out to make various people smile. Every episode is 11 minutes filled with rapid fire humor in a surreal world filled with bizarre characters.
The show blends animation styles including rotoscoping, 2D, 3D and claymation to add to its surrealist and chaotic storylines.
It references unique moments from internet culture, including YouTuber Chris Chan, the voice behind the meme “Burger King Foot Lettuce,” and the Bjork stalker.
Character interactions sound almost improvised through their dialogues, adding to the frenetic energy of the show.
In the show, interactions between employees and customers feel out of pocket and ridiculous while conversations between coworkers are sensible.The stark contrast in interactions provides viewers who have worked in customer service a sense of relatability to the main characters in the show.
Rather than focusing on characters that disliked each other and the work they do,the show has a team of unique characters set on making the world a more positive place, an idea that is often forgotten in society today.
“Smiling Friends” isn’t the first animated series to explore these elements, as shows such as “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” and “Home Videos” are similar.
However, “Smiling Friends” is one of the few series to deviate thematically and stylistically from other mainstream cartoons in recent media.
Producing a show as unique and humorous as “Smiling Friends” comes as a cost, though. Cusack explained that spending a large amount of time in the show has resulted in burnout for him and Hadel.
“After we finished Season 3, Zach [Hadel] and I just both had the same feeling where we felt pretty burnt out after putting years and years of work into this, but also pretty accomplished,” Cusack said in their farewell announcement.
For those who felt the show ended abruptly after Season 3, don’t panic. Hadel and Cusack are working on two additional episodes set to air on Adult Swim at 10 p.m on April 12. Cusack and Hadel said they also plan on working on their own projects in the future.
“This is a good spot to end it,” Hadel said in their farewell announcement. “All of it has been surreal, it’s been great. As the little cartoon guy said, ‘That’s All Folks!’”
