Smiling Friends

Smiling Friends
The words "Smiling Friends" in all caps and different colors on a black background.
Title card
Genre
Created by
Written by
  • Michael Cusack
  • Zach Hadel
Directed by
  • Michael Cusack
  • Zach Hadel
Voices of
  • Michael Cusack
  • Zach Hadel
  • Marc M.
Theme music composerChris O'Neill
Ending theme"Brown Smile" by Chris O'Neill
ComposerBrendan Caulfield
Country of origin
  • Australia
  • United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes17
Production
Executive producers
  • Mike Cowap
  • Emma Fitzsimons
  • Ollie Green
  • Walter Newman
  • Kelly Crews
  • Cameron Tang
  • Jake Ganz
Producers
  • Ollie Green
  • Laura DiMaio
  • Paul Moran
  • Casey Rup
  • Cody DeMatteis
Editors
  • Scott Henry
  • Lukas Xuereb
  • Aron Fromm
Running time11 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkAdult Swim
ReleaseJanuary 10, 2022 (2022-01-10)[3] –
present
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Smiling Friends is an animated television series created by Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block, which revolves around the surreal misadventures of a small charity and its four employees dedicated to spreading happiness. The show utilizes a wide variety of different art styles and animation techniques. This includes but is not limited to stylized traditional animation, CGI, rotoscoping, stop motion, and live-action.

The pilot episode aired April 1, 2020, unannounced as part of Adult Swim's annual April Fools' Day event alongside the premiere of Cusack's other series, YOLO. On May 19, 2021, Adult Swim ordered a full season that was initially set to premiere in late 2021.[4] A panel dedicated to the series was held during the Adult Swim Festival on November 12, 2021, where co-creator Zach Hadel mentioned the show will premiere "within a few months", pushing the release schedule ahead to 2022.[5] The first season contains nine episodes, including the pilot and an 11-minute special.[6][7][8] The first season eventually premiered on January 10, 2022, with Adult Swim airing all episodes of the season, except for the special, in one night despite initial plans for a weekly release.[9][3][a]

The series received critical acclaim, and was renewed for a second season on February 9, 2022;[10] the season premiere aired on April 1, 2024,[11] with the rest of the season beginning to air on May 13.[12][13] On June 13, 2024, Adult Swim renewed the series for a third season.[14]

  1. ^ "Review: 'Smiling Friends' is Surreal, Absurd and Rather Beautiful". 2 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Smiling Friends: Adult Swim's Latest Adult Comedy is Childish". December 22, 2021. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Sarto, Dan (December 14, 2021). "Adult Swim's 'Smiling Friends' Turns Frowns Upside Down". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  4. ^ Tapp, Tom (May 19, 2021). "Adult Swim Orders Series Pick Ups For 'Royal Crackers' And 'Smiling Friends'". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "2021 Adult Swim Festival Coming to Screens Everywhere". Animation World Network. October 12, 2021. Archived from the original on October 12, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  6. ^ PsychicPebbles on Making Smiling Friends. The Create Unknown. July 22, 2021. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ "Smiling Friends". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  8. ^ Valdez, Nick (2022-05-18). "Smiling Friends to Release New Special Episode". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  9. ^ Valdez, Nick (2022-01-10). "Adult Swim Shocks Fans With Secret Smiling Friends Premiere Marathon". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  10. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (February 9, 2022). "'Birdgirl' & 'Smiling Friends' Renewed For Season 2 By Adult Swim". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  11. ^ Valdez, Nick. "Smiling Friends Season 2 Shares First Look at Premiere: Watch". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024. after the special puppet episodes, Adult Swim sneakily premiered the first episode of the new season
  12. ^ Flook, Ray (2024-03-24). "Smiling Friends Returns Next Sunday; Season 2 Mini-Teaser Released". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on 2024-03-24. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  13. ^ Adult Swim Special Broadcast 2024. Adult Swim. April 1, 2024. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ Lang, Jamie (13 June 2024). "Adult Swim Unveils Series Orders for 'Oh My God, Yes!,' 'Ha Ha You Clowns' and Season 3 of 'Smiling Friends' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.


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