The season 2 finale of Smiling Friends is about a brought-to-life snowman who learns about the concept of death and can’t stop screaming. There’s also a yeti and the ghost of Bill Nye. Earlier in the season, there are episodes about a washed-up video game mascot who gets sprayed with a hose; a frog (Mr. Frog, to put some respect to his name) that runs for president, and wins by one vote; and a prank played by aliens involving blowing up a deserted planet.
Smiling Friends is wild — and one of the best animated shows on TV. But when will the Adult Swim animated series be back for more adventures?
Here’s everything you need to know about Smiling Friends season 3, including plot details and whether there’s a release date.
Plot
Smiling Friends follows the employees of a charitable company that is tasked with bringing joy to its clients by any means necessary. There’s pessimistic Charlie, cheerful Pim, deadpan Allan, adorable Glep, and their boss, Mr. Boss. The show’s bosses, creators Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack, haven’t said much about season 3, but don’t expect things to suddenly get serious.
“A lot of comedy shows, like you say, tend to get serious. I don’t think Charlie and Pim could cry and anybody would care. It would just be annoying. So it would probably end before it gets to that point,” Hadel said at the Annecy Animation Festival in June. “This show is hopefully kind of an escape. We always think about when we worked minimum-wage jobs, we would get home and just want to watch YouTube cartoons and South Park and Always Sunny. There’s something nice about being a little comedy thing, and that’s it.”
Cusack aims to keep “a continuous tone with Smiling Friends, where you can tune in in any season. You don’t really know where you are.” Hagel added, “I don’t think we’ll ever do serialization. It’s supposed to just be popcorn. It’s McDonald’s of TV.” It’s the perfect show to cheer you up while you’re eating lunch at work, ideally with a Big Mac (or a Century Egg).
Cast
Nearly every main character on Smiling Friends is voiced by co-creators Michael Cusack (Pim, Allan, Mr. Frog) and Zach Hadel (Charlie, Glep, Gwimbly), or Marc M. (The Boss). Guest stars have included Finn Wolfhard, the late Gilbert Gottfried, Erica Lindbeck, Dana Snyder (Master Shake from Aqua Teen Hunger Force), and Doug Walker (The Nostalgia Critic).
Release Date
Smiling Friends was renewed for season 3 (not a certainty with how Warner Bros. Discovery. had been handling over animated programs) over the summer. A premiere date has not been announced yet, but unless there’s an unexpected The Venture Bros.-style hiatus, you can expect season 3 in 2025.
You can watch seasons 1 and 2 on Max and Adult Swim’s website.
Trailer
There’s no trailer for season 3 yet, so why not take a trip back to Spamtopia instead? Remember: don’t look anyone in the eyes (or eye).