'Smiling Friends' is ending with Season 3. 'Not a joke.'

Saman Shafiq, USA TODAYThu, February 26, 2026 at 5:20 PM UTC

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Adult Swim‘s animated comedy “Smiling Friends” is ending after three seasons, despite having been renewed for Seasons 4 and 5.

In a video posted to Adult Swim's X and YouTube accounts, creators and stars Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel "cut right to the chase,” dropping the news.

“This is not a bit, this is not a joke," Hadel says in the six-minute video. "Michael and I are here to announce that ‘Smiling Friends’ will be ending after Season 3 is done.”

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Cusack added that the two "had the same feeling where we felt pretty burnt out after putting years and years into this, but also pretty accomplished" after they finished Season 3.

“We just came to this feeling where we were like, ‘I think that could just be it,’ after Season 3," Cusack said.

What is 'Smiling Friends'?

Adult Swim‘s animated comedy “Smiling Friends” is coming to an end after three seasons.

"Smiling Friends," which is "about a company dedicated to lending a helping hand to anyone needing to smile," had already been renewed for Seasons 4 and 5 at Adult Swim, according to an August 2025 Warner Bros. press release. The show was one of Adult Swim’s top-performing options on HBO Max and ranked among the platform’s top 10 series during its Season Two premiere.

Hadel said he and Cusack, from the beginning, had aimed to put “110%” into “Smiling Friends” and then “go out on top,” remarking it was better to leave the audience “wanting more” than to have them think, “‘That show is still on the air? Oh God.'”

“We wouldn’t want to be doing more seasons half-hearted or burnt out or not feeling it,” he added. “That’s not fair to us, and it’s not fair to the audience to give you guys fucking slop. That sucks.”

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'Smiling Friends' could come back in the future

Cusack said ending “Smiling Friends” was “our decision,” and that Adult Swim has been “very supportive.”

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“When we told them exactly this. They said, ‘If you’re not feeling like making a cartoon, we’re not going to stop you. Go have a break. Either come back or don’t,” Cusack said. He added that revisiting the show is a possibility, and they "could come back in the future and make more episodes if we want, if we feel like it."

Cusack said if the duo feels inspired and "really hungry to do it again, absolutely we'll come back maybe for a special or some more episodes."

"But it's got to be right, and it's got to be done right," Cusack said.

"Smiling Friends" conclusion also does not mean the end of Cusack and Hadel's collaboration or them working on their individual projects.

"It's just this show. We just feel like we've done it," Cusack said. "Like we feel like we got it out of our system."

In Season 3 of “Smiling Friends," Pim, Charlie, Flint and the whole gang go "absolutely bonkers once again, diving headfirst into their ultimate quest to spread joy upon the land," according to the season synopsis.

Two more episodes coming

While the show will not be returning for additional seasons, the creators announced two unreleased Season 3 episodes will air on April 12 on Adult Swim. Hadel noted the episodes are “not finales,” but rather “little stragglers," which are not "thematically related."

“We know this is very disappointing,” Cusack concluded, “It’s been very hard to even record this recording for it because it’s just a very difficult thing to say for us. We hope you understand, and we hope you’ve enjoyed what we’ve done."

"It’s been amazing. The fans have been so good. It’s been the best. It’s been the ride of a lifetime. But I hope you see where we are coming from," he signed off.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Smiling Friends' Season 3 is ending. Here's what to know.

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