Smiling Friends is leaving on a positive note.
After launching in 2022, the absurdist animated series gained a rabid Gen Z fan base that obsessed over the exploits of Pim and Charlie as they worked to spread happiness. Despite Adult Swim having renewed Smiling Friends for two more seasons, creators Michael Cusack (who voices Pim) and Zach Hadel (Charlie) announced in February that they were “burnt out” and would abruptly end the show with the previously aired third season.
Fans got a new reason to smile when the program was nominated for the best animated series Emmy, marking its first nom and competing with stalwarts The Simpsons and South Park. Hadel, 33, and Cusack, a 35-year-old Aussie, discuss taking new risks with season three, casting a star of The Office despite never having seen the show and the odds of more Smiling Friends.
What goes through your mind when you get that first Emmy nom?
ZACH HADEL I say, “Holy crap.” You can censor that out. I woke up to about a million text messages and missed phone calls. It’s surreal to see our tiny, 10-minute Adult Swim show next to these giants like South Park or The Simpsons, which we grew up on.
