Is 'Smiling Friends' Getting a Season 3? (2024)

Created by Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel (also known as psychicpepples), Smiling Friends has become one of Adult Swim's biggest hits in years. The quarter-hour animated series follows the often surreal and dangerous adventures of Pim and Charlie, who work for a small company that aims to make its clients smile. The problem is that their clients are increasingly erratic and, at times, even threatening. The series has only grown in popularity over the course of its two seasons, with its latest batch of episodes having brought in a wide variety of surprising guest stars and new animation styles. Considering the success of the series, you may be wondering if we'll be getting more of Pim and Charlie's misadventures after Season 2. You can find out below whether or not Smiling Friends has been renewed for a third season.

Smiling Friends

TV-MA

Animation

This animated series follows a small company dedicated to bringing happiness to their clients, no matter how bizarre the request. The mismatched duo of optimistic and pessimistic employees face absurd and darkly comedic scenarios, navigating the surreal challenges of their job with a unique blend of humor and chaos.

Release Date

April 1, 2020

Cast

Michael Cusack , Zach Hadel , Marc M. , Joshua Tomar , Mick Lauer , Erica Lindbeck , David Dore , Lyle Rath

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

2

Creator(s)

Michael Cusack , Zach Hadel

Is 'Smiling Friends' Getting a Third Season?

Yes! While Season 2 is still ongoing, it was confirmed during a panel at the 2024 Annecy International Film Festival that Smiling Friends has been renewed by Adult Swim for a third season. As of right now, we don't know when Season 3 will premiere. There was a nearly two-and-a-half-year gap between Seasons 1 and 2 of the series, so we may have to wait awhile between the Season 2 finale and the premiere of Season 3. However, as many may recall, a special episode was released between the first two seasons titled "The Smiling Friends Go to Brazil," so it wouldn't be entirely shocking if Hadel and Cusack were to release a new episode or two between Seasons 2 and 3. Nothing has been confirmed, of course, but there is still time. Season 3 will more than likely consist of eight episodes, much like Season 2.

What Is 'Smiling Friends' About?

As previously stated, Smiling Friends focuses on the employees at a small company known as "Smiling Friends," run by the cheerful, but unhinged Mr. Boss (Marc M.). The company's main focus is to make its clients smile and to cheer them up. Most of the company's clients are already less than desirable, ranging from a hopeless gamer shrimp looking for love, a washed-up video game character seeking a comeback, and a beloved celebrity who is openly addicted to hard drugs and exhibits impulsive and violent behavior towards everyone around him. At the center of the series are the overly optimistic and cheerful Pim Pimling (Cusack) and the pessimistic and depressed Charlie Dompler (Hadel), as well as the uptight and deadpan Allan Red (Cusack) and the adorable, pint-sized Glep (Hadel) whose gibberish language is unintelligible to the audience. Each episode has a runtime of around 11 minutes, with the so-called critters taking on new bizarre jobs in each episode, whether they want to or not.

The official synopsis for Smiling Friends from Adult Swim reads:

“SMILING FRIENDS,” the hit animated comedy co-created and starring Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel that follows the employees of a small company dedicated to bringing happiness to a bizarre yet colorful world

What Happened in 'Smiling Friends' Season 2?

Much like many other animated comedy series, Smiling Friends does not have an overarching story and each episode stands on its own, although there are a few callbacks from time to time. While the series is mostly 2D animated, Hadel and Cusack have played around with other styles as well, such as live-action, stop-motion, CGI, rotoscoping, and pixel art. The official synopsis for Season 2 from Adult Swim reads:

In season two of “SMILING FRIENDS,” Pim, Charlie, Zongo, Allan and Glep continue their mission to bring happiness to the world, whether it’s a washed-up retro video game character, a troubled marriage, or even the president of the United States.

Below you can find Adult Swim's official synopsis' for each episode from Season 2.

You can watch the trailer for Smiling Friends Season 2 below:

Where Can I Watch the First Two Seasons of 'Smiling Friends'?

While new episodes of Smiling Friends premiere first on Adult Swim at midnight, each episode is available to stream the next day on the Max streaming service alongside every other episode of the series.

Watch on Max

You can also watch episodes of Smiling Friends on Adult Swim's website. However, you will need to sign in with your cable provider to watch certain episodes.

On April 1, 2024, Adult Swim aired a block of three puppet-style Season 1 episodes, as part of their annual April Fools' Day prank. You can watch the block of episodes below.