Smiling Friends is a new-ish animation that you should check out. The premise of the show is simple, cute, cheerful Pim and realistic Charlie work for a charity that provides smiles and cheer to those in need. It first aired its pilot on April 1st, 2020, on the Cartoon Network website where it was then greenlit after positive reception, and eventually, two years later six more episodes were put on-air consecutively in 2022. The final episode was released on the 31st of Jan and then went streaming on HBO max Feb 9th.

So, the show is old but recent. Created by Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack they also pull duty as voice actors for many characters. Hadel voices Charlie, Glep, Bliblie, Charlie’s grandma, the devil, and various other characters alongside Cusack who also voices multiple characters. Celebrity cameos such as Finn Wolfhard. 

The show stands out among its peers in its presentation of animation, and the story is entertaining. Episodes tackle different genres which help keep the show fresh in each episode. There are 8 short eleven-minute episodes that can be watched out of order since it is more of an anthology series. The happy ending is the core of smiling friends as each episode always ends with a cheerful resolution. 

Zach’s sense of humor is pulled straight from his personality and personal character.  Smiling Friends proudly acknowledges its internet roots from Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack; Hadel’s YouTube channel known as “psychic pebbles” appears in Youtuber “oneyplays” videos.  Smiling Friends containing cameos from other independent YouTube animators like David Firth who made salad fingers. The show makes use of occasional 3d animation, Claymation in tandem with 2d animation.  Smiling Friends meets the taste of dark humor and violence hidden by its colorful and lighthearted jokes.  

The show was received really well even if it took a bit to get greenlight. To those who have watched reviews have been more than the majority positive.  Smiling friend’s user reviews show a rating of 8.7/10 from 3.5k responses taken from the IMDb and rotten tomatoes database. It reached an audience score of 96% and has been renewed for a second season already. “Adult animation has been enriched and the network evidently knows it” “This show just made me SMILE!” 

Nasdagoodshepherd & TheVictoriasV in reference to adult swim and smiling friends.