Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack have confirmed that adult animated series Smiling Friends will end with its already aired third season. Apart from two bonus episodes poised to air this April, the 2 showrunners, writers, and actors imagine the beloved show has reached a natural end they now not wish to increase attributable to creative burnout.
Considering that Adult Swim had already renewed the show for a fourth and fifth season, this comes as quite a surprise. Smiling Friends’ has enjoyed immense popularity during its run too, becoming an enormous cultural touchstone in an identical manner to Rick & Morty, albeit with a far less cringe-inducing fandom. I’m going to miss it terribly. There was still a lot ground for all these characters to cover across all manner of unpredictable escapades, but I also just can’t help but respect the needs of creators who simply know their hearts aren’t in it anymore.
Why Is Smiling Friends Coming To An End?
The video message from Hadel and Cusack is basically five minutes of them giving reasons as to why this decision was made, and why they feel it was ultimately the very best path to take for each themselves and Smiling Friends.
“I’m gonna cut right to the chase,” Hadel said. “This just isn’t a bit, this just isn’t a joke. Michael and I are here to announce that ‘Smiling Friends’ will probably be ending after Season 3 is finished.”
“To be perfectly honest, after we finished Season 3, Zach and I just each had the identical feeling where we felt pretty burnt out after putting years and years into this, but in addition pretty completed,” Cusack added. “We just got here to this sense where we were like, ‘I feel that might just be it,’ after Season 3.”
Each men touch on this fear of Smiling Friends overstaying its welcome and becoming one among those shows that refuses to just accept that its time in its highlight is over and the abilities behind it are only producing more episodes for monetary gain reasonably than creative fulfilment.
They may have easily coasted on the continued success of Smiling Friends for a few years, or on the very least a guaranteed two more seasons, and a selfish a part of me form of wishes they did. But in a media landscape where the vast majority of things we eat are remakes, reboots, and sequels, it feels refreshing for a show which was praised a lot for its originality is helmed by people willing to recognise when it’s time to maneuver on. Except, after only three seasons, it could possibly be argued that Smiling Friends hadn’t yet reached its full potential. I suppose we’ll never know.
Ultimately, the choice was made by Hadel and Cusack because they weren’t feeling it anymore. After putting 110 percent into Smiling Friends from the very starting, it had began to wear on them as creatives who were also dipping their toes into outside projects and roles at the identical time. Helming a show like this whose popularity continues to grow must also include quite a lot of pressure, and the duo thankfully found themselves in a spot where Adult Swim is letting them walk away, and in the event that they ever want to come back back, the door is wide open.
But Could This All Be An Elaborate Joke?
When this announcement was made out of the blue, quite a lot of people assumed it was the beginning of a long-running joke that might deliver its punchline in the approaching months, but I truthfully think it is likely to be the reality. The show’s composer has confirmed he’s already in search of work, while other members of the team have confirmed they’ll be doing the identical now that seasons 4 and five won’t be going ahead. Thankfully, the production team was told ahead of time and have adequate time to maneuver on and won’t be left hanging too badly for this reason bombshell.
One among the things that breaks my heart most is that Smiling Friends became this peerless bastion of unpredictable cameos from incredibly talented animators and voice talent that might appear under essentially the most ridiculous of circumstances. It’s like Hadel and Cusack found themselves able where they’d the budget and authority to shine a brilliant light on creators they were huge fans of and believed could bring their vision to life. The aesthetic of Smiling Friends was continually evolving and willing to stretch itself to brave definitions that defied convention, and you can say the identical about its comedy.
My biggest conspiracy theory is that that is gearing up for the announcement of a movie, but that definitely isn’t going to occur.
If that is the tip, Smiling Friends goes to go down in history as one among the best adult animated comedies of all time. But when it’s a joke that’s going to disclose its punchline in April as the ultimate two episodes air, I’ll be relieved and delighted in equal measure. Greater than anything though, I respect Hadel and Cusack for having the agency to recognise when their tenure is up, and it’s time to maneuver onto something latest. Whatever form that takes, I can’t wait to see it.