All good things must come to an end, even our favorite TV shows.
Adult Swim‘s adult animated comedy “Smiling Friends” has ended after three seasons, with creators Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel sharing a video about their decision.
In the YouTube announcement, they said they both felt the same mix of burnout and accomplishment. That’s when they realized they could just finish the show on a high.
“From the very, very beginning of the show, we always said, Oh, man, how great would it be to try to make the show as good as it could be, put 110% into it, and then go out what feels like on top, what feels like leave them wanting more, rather than people going, Oh, that show is still on the air,” Hadel said.
“After several years of really, really grinding on this show, non-stop, without any breaks. 24/7, we got to a point where we just felt like that’s a good spot to end it. We wouldn’t want to be doing more seasons halfhearted, burnt out, or not feeling it,” Hadel said.
They ended the announcement by thanking their fans for their support.
Watch ‘Smiling Friends’ ending announcement
Warning: some NSFW language to follow.
What is ‘Smiling Friends’ about?
Smiling Friends is an absurdist cartoon that follows the employees of a small company dedicated to “bringing happiness to a bizarre yet colorful world,” as per HBO.
It was started by Cusack and Hadel in 2022 and has become a critically acclaimed Adult Swim cult hit, frequently cited as one of the most significant adult animated series of the 2020s.
Are more episodes of ‘Smiling Friends’ coming out?
The creators revealed that two new episodes will air in April, concluding the series. According to the video, these episodes were not written as a series finale but rather as “little stragglers.”
They will be released on Sunday, April 12.
Where can I watch episodes of ‘Smiling Friends’?
Smiling Friends is available to stream on HBO Max, Sling TV and on Adult Swim’s website.
Watch ‘Smiling Friends’ with Disney Bundle
Will ‘Smiling Friends’ ever come back?
In their announcement, Hadel and Cusack said Adult Swim told them that they’re welcome to bring the show back at a later date. However, they were clear that they did not want to make any promises about the show returning.
Samantha Neely is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, theme parks, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Is Adult Swim’s hit cartoon ‘Smiling Friends’ ending? What to know
Reporting by Samantha Neely, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Today
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