With the end of Smiling Friends season 2, many animation fans heralded the series as a classic of Adult Swim. Some even touted it as the next Rick and Morty, a show widely considered the height of adult cartoons. Fans love the series for its quirky characters, dry wit, and surprising idealism for an Adult Swim series.
While the series is already an impressive work of animation, it rose to greatness because of its brilliant creators, Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack. Here is a breakdown of how Smiling Friends started as a webtoon and rose to its status as an icon of adult animation.
The History of ‘Smiling Friends’
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The history of the animated classic begins with its prolific creator, web animator Zach Hadel. Hadel started as an animator for Newgrounds, a site that spawned the careers of many other indie animators and game developers. Some examples include Friday Night Funkin and Salad Fingers. He is most known for his surrealist comedy channel, Psychicpebbles. While Michael Cusack was less well-known before the hit show, he has been a veteran of adult animation, having made the Rick and Morty parody “Bushworld Adventures.” He has also starred in the equally iconic Cyanide and Happiness.
In an interview with Animation Magazine, Cusack and Hadel told the story of the series’ inception. During a meeting at a Gus’ Chicken in Burbank, the two concocted the idea of a series about a charity organization trying to cheer people up. Their portfolios and love of series like South Park and The Simpsons inspired the cartoon. Soon enough, Smiling Friends was created.
Pitching to Adult Swim
Soon enough, Cusack and Hadel would throw their hats into the ring to get a pilot for the series that aired on TV. Adult Swim picked it up in 2018, when the project began. The original episode had a limited budget and crew, which makes its eventual success all the more impressive.
In early 2020, the pilot for the series aired. It followed the titular duo as they attempted to help a man with depression. Despite ostensibly being a dark subject matter with equal amounts of black comedy, the pilot ended surprisingly positively. Because of this, the first episode becoming a full-fledged series was inevitable. This wouldn’t be the first time a YouTuber made it to a major network, such as with Annoying Orange and Fred in the 2010s, highlighting the changing media landscape.
Two Successful Seasons
In early 2022, the first full season of Smiling Friends aired. By the time the season ended, the series had spawned several dozen memes and had become an internet phenomenon. To many fans, the series had all of the brightly colored whimsy of Adventure Time and the surreal black comedy of Don’t Hug Me, I’m Scared. As stated above, many see the series as an antidote to the nihilism of Rick and Morty, a mindset highlighted in their battle against the “Frowning Friends.”
Part of what made the series so memorable was the characters of the week, including nerds such as Shrimp. However, the series’ most iconic client would have to be the unstoppable, deadpan Mr. Frog, a childish Microsoft Office paint drawing serving as a controversial TV star.
In 2024, Smiling Friends returned in full force with their second season. The first episode followed Gwimbly, a PSX-era mascot betrayed by his corporation. This was a was a story that resonated with many gamers. The series would even delve into political subjects with nuanced and layered commentary through the character of President Jimble. Season 3 has been announced, and the show will hopefully maintain its status as a classic and bring more smiles to its viewers.
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