Smiling Friends will with Season 3, creators Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel confirmed in a video posted to the Adult Swim socials.
In the clip, the duo said they feel both burnt out and creatively accomplished after completing the third season. With their trademark cheek, they added that they do not believe they could continue the series without compromising its quality, and chose to end it while it is still operating at a high standard. Adult Swim has supported the decision, allowing the pair to close out the show on their own terms.
That said, there is still some good news.
More “Smiling Friends” is on the way. Two additional Season 3 episodes, produced last year during the season’s run, are scheduled to premiere April 12 at 11 p.m. on Adult Swim. The creators clarified that these installments are not intended as series finales, but are simply part of the completed Season 3 order.
It’s a bittersweet end to the show, which premiered in 2022. Smiling Friends has quickly became a cult phenomenon for Adult Swim with its offbeat tone and elastic animation style. Endless memes, fan art, costumes have been born and made with it, with many likening it to the success of Rick & Morty. Though this marks the end of the show, it also frees up the creators to work on more projects, so we’ll still see their distinctive voices in media, just in another form.