HBO Max’s 3-Part Adult Animated Series Is One of the Best Shows To Binge This Weekend

Adult Swim is responsible for some of the boldest, most unusual animated programming of all-time, as the programming block on Cartoon Network has been catering to its niche fanbase ever since Space Ghost Coast to Coast became a cult hit in the ‘90s. Although there have been plenty of hilarious shows that speak to just how singular Adult Swim’s output is, the only recent series to break into mainstream popular culture was Rick & Morty, which attracted a passionate following based on its science fiction themes, unique characters, and rich universe. Rick & Morty may have eventually begun to decline in quality as controversies mounted against it, but Smiling Friends was a throwback to the classic days of Adult Swim, as it developed a cutting-edge way of blending together different media. Now that the series is officially wrapped, it’s the perfect, quick binge-watch for anyone who has yet to catch up.

Created by Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack, who also voiced the show’s main characters, Smiling Friends is about a group of unusual, colorful creatures that work at a non-profit charitable organization that is designed to help bring happiness to people who are struggling. Hadel voices the pink, optimistic protagonist Pim, the tall and red office manager Alan, and the villainous Mr. Frog; Cusack voices the large yellow creature Charlie and the group’s tiny green assistant Glep. While Pim and Charlie are at the center of the adventures, they receive their missions from the Smiling Friends owner, Mr. Boss (Marc M.), an unusual human who plays a more significant role in later seasons. As is the case with most Adult Swim shows, the plot in Smiling Friends isn’t all that important. It’s a series that is impossible to predict and will seemingly do anything in order to be as funny as possible.

‘Smiling Friends’ Is Bizarre, Surreal, and Completely Unique

The rules of how the Smiling Friends universe works aren’t completely clear, as there are elements that resemble a somewhat familiar version of society (albeit one that has colorful and strange creatures populating it), but it occasionally launches into science fiction territory. However, Smiling Friends succeeds at being a workplace comedy because Pim and Charlie are assigned a new client at the beginning of each episode, who they are asked to “make smile.” Although the means that are required to provoke happiness within these strange clients vary drastically, and can often get far more complicated than they initially realize, Smiling Friends does capture what it’s like to be both best friends and co-workers with someone. Although everything within the Smiling Friends universe is completely absurd, Pim and Charlie have a job that has a real benefit to society; the irony is that their bored indifference about their line of work is similar to that of anyone working a menial office job.

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It’s thanks to the 11-minute running times of each episode that Smiling Friends creates self-contained adventures each week, with overarching storylines involving some characters only occasionally having significance. A recurring criticism of long-running animated shows is that the status quo never changes, but Smiling Friends satirizes that in a very surreal way. There are shocking revelations about Mr. Boss’ past, Alan’s unusual private life, and the bizarre adventures of the Smiling Friends clients that end each episode on a strange joke. Hadel and Cusack have also shown inventiveness in incorporating 3-D animation, stop-motion, and live-action elements into the series that only further complicate its grasp on reality. The humor is itself impossible to predict; while there are instances in which the broad and goofy adventures of the characters are borderline slapstick, the show will occasionally include violent, sexual, and existentialist humor that is clearly intended for an older audience.

‘Smiling Friends’ Went Out on a High Note

Image via Adult Swim/Warner Bros. Discovery

There are animated shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy that have run on for so long that there are now more bad seasons than good ones, so Hadel and Cusack made a strategic decision in choosing to end Smiling Friends after its third season, even though it had initially been renewed for two more installments. Despite the show beginning to find its groove and connecting with a broader audience on HBO Max, where it has performed better than nearly any other animated show, it wouldn’t do anyone any good if Hadel and Cusack had continued to work on a series that they were no longer passionate about. The intricacy within each episode, which includes tons of subtle gags, is something that required them to pour a significant amount of effort into, and Smiling Friends wouldn’t feel the same if later seasons didn’t show the same level of commitment.

It wouldn’t befit the tone of Smiling Friends to end on a sour note, and the final two episodes of the show are some of its best. “Friend-Bot (Version 12589218731809213528796879521)” made a fairly compelling case about the dangers and restrictions of using AI, and “Charlie’s Uncle Dies and Doesn’t Come Back” offered a surprising twist on the formula when Charlie is taught to be more confident after receiving some advice from a client. Given that Hadel and Cusack have a strong partnership with Adult Swim, it doesn’t seem impossible that they would return to the Smiling Friends universe if they had a good enough idea to justify its resurgence. However, it is exciting to see a show that is committed to producing the highest quality product, as the three seasons that exist of Smiling Friends are close to perfection.