‘Smiling Friends’ Creators Are Ending the Show After Season 3 — Here’s Why

By now, you’ve probably heard the news: The animated adult comedy series Smiling Friends is ending. It’s sad, to say the least, especially for those who’ve relied on it to, quite literally, make them smile. The show is wrapping up with Season 3, which premiered on Oct. 5, 2025, and ran through November, ending with Episode 8.

The show’s creators, Michael Cusack and Zack Hadel, shared the news via Adult Swim on X (formerly Twitter) in a six-minute clip, explaining their reasons for ending the show and offering a tiny silver lining for those hoping for more. Keep reading to find out why the show is ending, even though two more seasons were originally expected.

After Season 3 of Smiling Friends wrapped up, the show’s creators, Michael Cusack and Zack Hadel, realized they’d gotten pretty burnt out from working on it constantly. They also felt this was a perfect time to walk away from the show without leaving any loose ends or ending it too abruptly.

In a six-minute clip shared to X on Feb. 25, 2026, Michael acknowledged that he realizes it’s very disappointing for people to hear but shared, “To be perfectly honest, after we finished Season 3, Zack and I just both had the same feeling, where we feel pretty burnt out after putting years and years into this, but also pretty accomplished. Like we just came to this feeling that could just be it after Season 3,” adding, “we both feel like it was right.”

Zack then offered his take on the show ending, explaining, “Even from the very very beginning of the show … we always said how great would it be to really try and make the show as good as it can be … and put 110 percent into it and then go out what feels like on top, rather than people going ‘Aw that show is still on the air, oh god.’”

Zack also agreed the show was a lot to work on, saying, “After several years of really really grinding on this show nonstop without any breaks, 24/7, we got to a point where we just felt like that’s just a good spot to end it.” He further explained, “We wouldn't want to be doing more seasons like half-hearted or burnt out,” noting that would not only be unfair to them but also to the audience.

Now, if you’re wondering why the duo doesn’t just hand over creative direction to someone else to keep the show going, since fans on Reddit say they expected at least two more seasons, Michael said it would be “weird” to do that, as both he and Zack are “control freaks” and this is really their show. But they did say Adult Swim has been very supportive of their decision, and they can only hope that fans understand and respect their choice.

It could, but it’s unlikely. Zack and Michael made it clear that they don’t want viewers hanging onto the idea that more will come or that they’ll return at a later date. That said, there’s a small chance they could come back. “It’s easier to say this is a good spot to end it. If we really feel inspired and really feel like we’ve got great ideas … absolutely we’ll come back for a special or maybe some episodes … but it’s gotta be done right,” Zack explained.

What’s also refreshing to hear is that both agreed that the end of Smiling Friends doesn’t mark the end of them working together. What's more, they also shared that they’ll be releasing two additional episodes for Season 3 on April 12, 2026, at 11 p.m. on Adult Swim.

Now, these aren’t big finale episodes, but rather extras they completed that act more like “straggler” episodes than anything else.

And if they do decide to come back with more, the duo has said that Adult Swim has already made it clear they would welcome them back with open arms.