Smiling Friends is an adult animated television series created by Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack for Cartoon Network‘s night-time programming block Adult Swim, which revolves around a small company dedicated to making people smile.
The pilot episode aired April 1, 2020, unannounced as part of Adult Swim’s annual April Fools’ Day event alongside the premiere of Cusack’s other series, YOLO. On May 19, 2021, Adult Swim ordered a full season that was initially set to premiere in late 2021.[5] A panel dedicated to the series was held during the Adult Swim Festival on November 12, 2021, where co-creator Zach Hadel mentioned the show will premiere “within a few months”, pushing the release schedule ahead to 2022.[6] The first season contains 9 episodes, including the pilot and an 11-minute special.[7][8][9] The first season eventually premiered on January 10, 2022, with Adult Swim airing all episodes of the season, except for the special, in one night despite initial plans for a weekly release.[10][4][a][11]
Smiling Friends has become a critical and ratings success, receiving praise for its writing, visuals, tone and humor.[12] The series was renewed for a second season on February 9, 2022.[13]
