ListNook

CrippledCox Apr 2, 2026 +204

The real treasure was the rotoscoped smiling friends we made along the way

204

chopsuirak Apr 2, 2026 +63

"Dude, you like Super Monkey Ball? Pim! Bro, I knew I liked you dude. Come here, bring it in. Bring it in, brother." My brother and I played SMB on the Gamecube for many years of our childhood. Hearing that referenced was a nostalgia bomb like I couldn't believe.

63

FlowersByTheStreet Apr 2, 2026 +251

Don't cry because it's over, smiling because it happened

251

gumballkami Apr 2, 2026 +42

I just friends all over the screen

42

chopsuirak Apr 2, 2026 +1

It's the smiling we friends'ed along the way

1

UntouchableAshley Apr 2, 2026

Don’t cry because it’s over, smiling because it’s friend :)

0

Ajholliday14 Apr 2, 2026 +178

I don’t know what to think no more, man.

178

chopsuirak Apr 2, 2026 +63

"Get outta my head, man!"

63

LucarioSpeedwagon Apr 2, 2026 +106

Truly going to miss this show. My fiancee is an animation nut and I am less so, this is perhaps our biggest shared love there. I try to keep my parasocial powder dry, but I believe the creators to be solid dudes and am very excited for their next project(s).

106

chopsuirak Apr 2, 2026 +27

My brother begged me to start watching this, now it had become our "watch on Discord together" thing. I really hope they keep making such innovative projects. I'm coping and thinking this just means they want a "new cast of characters" or a new concept but they aren't done. Like you, I'm excited for whatever comes next for them.

27

Puppetmaster858 Apr 2, 2026 +13

Man I’m bummed out this is ending, all 3 seasons were super fun and I was excited to get 2 more cuz they talked about doing 5. I hope it eventually comes back years from now

13

godver3 Apr 2, 2026 +93

There's still meat on that bone. I think it's a *damn* shame to quit now. Comments about how it's better to go out on top than to hit the lows are insane to me - this show hasn't even begun to peak. Oh well. E: Good trailer though.

93

ElectricSheep451 Apr 2, 2026 +53

Yeah they still have only made less than four hours of content for the entire show, that's less than a season of the simpsons, I've watched single series British television shows that last longer. Obviously they can do whatever they want with their own show, but no possible way they are really "out of ideas" or even close to a point where the show would have gotten stale.

53

IrrelevantLeprechaun Apr 2, 2026 -12

Their excuses for it don't hold up either. "we didn't want to get burned out;" dudes are acting like they animate everything themselves. They're just the writers; they're not the ones putting in the gruelling labor hours. Idk how they could get burned out on writing.

-12

Blue_Wave_2020 Apr 2, 2026 +12

This is 100% false. They are credited as animators. Of course they don’t animate everything, no animation does. It’s a collaboration. So having to animate, write, and direct could definitely lead to burnout.

12

WolfpackConsultant Apr 3, 2026 +4

Even if they were "only" writers its still a stupid argument. Is this guy the arbiter of what jobs are allowed to have burnout or how much effort creative writing is?

4

AcreaRising4 Apr 2, 2026 +2

Why does their reasoning matter? They don’t owe you or anyone any more episodes than they want to do. This isn’t a GRRM situation, they’ve finished the show. If they say the series is over, then this is what they feel the right ending is.

2

rayword45 Apr 2, 2026 -3

> This isn’t a GRRM situation, they’ve finished the show. I mean, it's a better situation than GRRM for sure, but if that's the benchmark then what the f*** even falls below it? Literally erasing the show from existence somehow? I think people have every right to be disappointed given they were told that they signed a contract for 2 more seasons (and were purportedly *actively in production* on the fourth). I might agree with you more if they had said S3 was the end from the get-go, but it's perfectly reasonable to feel shorted when just a couple months ago people were *explicitly* told to expect more.

-3

criterionhaver Apr 3, 2026 +1

Shorted? It’s not like you put money down on five seasons up front… they don’t owe you a return on your emotional investment.

1

rayword45 Apr 3, 2026 +1

I'm not emotionally invested in this show at all lol, I enjoy it casually but I actually personally preferred Cusack's other series YOLO by quite a bit. But if you wanna play at that angle: * The entire situation is *extraordinarily shitty* to the dozens of animators, editors and other crew members who blocked off months from their schedule, and in many cases turned down other employment opportunities, only to get told that the project is dead *after production had already begun* (this would not have been a problem if they had said S3 was the end from the jump). And many of these crew members have made their disappointment and frustration known on social media. * I never said they "owed" anyone shit, but people are allowed to complain about something without being "owed" something as some sort of prerequisite - and this would be true even if THEY DIDN'T publicly announce that they signed a contract for 2 further seasons. If I tell a child I'm getting them ice cream, then later that day say "nah I changed my mind, and I don't owe you shit" I'm technically correct but I think any complaints from the kid would be justified. I just believe that viewers have **every single right** to be upset after being told one thing then later told "nah, never mind" out of the blue, and I find the majority of the defenses and rationalizations of this whole situation to be utterly laughable given how quick this sublistnook usually is to shit on other creators/showrunners because of a hiatus being too long (which quite often isn't even their fault). It's ridiculous to act like it's somehow entitled of viewers to expect *what they were told to expect a few months ago*.

1

AsstacularSpiderman Apr 2, 2026

Yeah it bums me out and makes me hesitant to follow their future work if they're just going to up and leave.

0

Alternative_Star755 Apr 2, 2026 +5

Is a show really only valuable to you if it's a "10 seasons and a movie!" ordeal? We all loved what came out of Smiling Friends. And most certainly the creators will make something else with their brand of humor in the future. Could it have gone on longer? Yeah, like everything else. But maybe whatever comes next will be even better?

5

AsstacularSpiderman Apr 2, 2026

>Is a show really only valuable to you if it's a "10 seasons and a movie!" ordeal? Homie they made 3 seasons over 6 years totaling like 5 hours of content. Let's not pretend they overstayed their welcome already, they barely even got here. >And most certainly the creators will make something else with their brand of humor in the future. And why bother getting interested when they just up and change their minds out of the blue and say, "by the way we are leaving, sorry" Nah there's not satisfying about this end despite the cope from the fans. They just canceled their own show in the middle of a season. I have no desire to follow people who rugpull like that.

0

AcreaRising4 Apr 2, 2026 +3

This comes across as rather entitled. This isn’t a show with a serialized story. They’re not cancelling it with plot threads left hanging. They’re moving onto something else, who cares? We got some great tv for three seasons. I just don’t get what the issue is with them ending the show.

3

AsstacularSpiderman Apr 2, 2026 -3

Dropping a show in the middle of a season after multiple statements saying they wanted to go longer is shitty, plain and simple. They don't think theyre obligated to be honest, that's OK. I'm not obligated to watch their content, especially if I know they're just going to drop it the moment they're bored.

-3

AcreaRising4 Apr 2, 2026 +3

They’re not allowed to change their mind? When they originally made those statements, perhaps they felt that way and then realized they had nothing left to say. There are artists who spend years producing albums that trash them at the last minute because it’s not the right thing. Art isn’t easy.

3

AsstacularSpiderman Apr 2, 2026 +1

You know there's other ways of going about canceling a show other than a YouTube video in the middle of the off season before your third season even ended, right? Also this announcement came just shortly after them saying they had plans for at least 5 seasons. If they want to be inconsistent then that's OK, artists starve all the time, I don't really care if they want to. What I really don't get is why you're so insistent on trying to change my mind. Zach and Micheal don't know you, nor care for you.

1

criterionhaver Apr 3, 2026

You’re being a baby.

0

Alternative_Star755 Apr 2, 2026 +1

Never said they overstayed their welcome, I would definitely enjoy more. But you are saying that a piece of media needs to be longer for you to feel like its worth time investing into. I just don't feel that way. If they came out and said "hey we have a single season of a new show coming out and it'll be 6 10-minute episodes of new characters" I'd still be interested in watching it. Again, I don't need a "10 seasons and a movie" promise to make something worth my time.

1

AsstacularSpiderman Apr 2, 2026

>I just don't feel that way. Cool, I don't care what you think. I'm not waiting around for unreliable creators to randomly up and leave at random. There's other, more consistent content out there.

0

Alternative_Star755 Apr 2, 2026 +2

I guess I just don't really get what your mindset is. It comes off like you feel 'owed' something, like you had some kind of genuine investment being ripped away from you, or are being betrayed. I promise you it can be better than that :)

2

AsstacularSpiderman Apr 2, 2026

No where did I say I felt owed anything. They owe me nothing, but that's a two way street. I really don't get your disconnect here other than plain stupidity and fanboying over dudes who obviously don't give a shit lol.

0

Alternative_Star755 Apr 2, 2026 +3

But isn't it the opposite? I don't mind that the show is ending, and I will be interested in seeing whatever comes next, if/when it does. You seem quite upset about it ending though, going as far as to have vitriolic opinions about the creators, and holding strong opinions about the what and why. Sometimes things just happen in a way, and that's ok :)

3

rayword45 Apr 2, 2026

> Is a show really only valuable to you if it's a "10 seasons and a movie!" ordeal? I'd say any hesitance I have is less about the small amount of content (especially given that some of my favorite shows lasted for even LESS total runtime) and more the fact that they publicly announced they were doing 2 more seasons before deciding "nah, peace". It makes commitment seem like a bigger risk than most other TV shows. Granted, I don't think Cusack actually wanted to end the show given how much content he churns out overall, and he's always been the one I found *way* funnier of the two so I myself have no real hesitance about following what he does next, whereas my expectations for future Hadel content are pretty damn low.

0

MikeDubbz Apr 2, 2026 -15

Go watch Over the Garden Wall, 10 episodes long and it is perfect. More would be great, but it would also make it lose so much that made it special. For years I thought I wanted more FLCL, then I got a lot more, and now I feel like that has tainted what I once believed was a perfect miniseries.

-15

godver3 Apr 2, 2026 +10

I don't know if it's a fair comparison - either way yes, I loved OtGW.

10

Logondo Apr 2, 2026

The worst part of OTGW is how short it is. It’s like maybe 80 minutes of show.

0

_NotMitetechno_ Apr 2, 2026 +2

That's the best part of it. Doesn't endlessly stick around for no reason. Tells its story then fucks off.

2

rayword45 Apr 2, 2026 +1

OTGW was continued via comics, though I've never read them so can't speak to whether or not they're any good.

1

rayword45 Apr 2, 2026

> and now I feel like that has tainted what I once believed was a perfect miniseries. I don't understand this line of thinking. I've certainly been excited upon hearing news of some of my favorite shows getting revived, only for the revival to then suck major ass. That doesn't retroactively make the earlier stuff bad somehow. Like, you can just ignore the newer episodes exist. I might agree that it's a bit harder to do that if we're talking something that's serialized like Game of Thrones, but this is an 11-minute cartoon rooted in 2000s internet humor with literally *negative* continuity.

0

trampaboline Apr 2, 2026 +38

Bro… I just don’t know about this. I’m probably just coping and don’t mean to be stranger things level delusional but… I just feel like it’s not ending. This all feels so odd, sudden, and unique. The quick plug-pull after multiple season renewals, the random “leftover” episodes that for no reason just didn’t air with the rest of the season. The lack of a proper “finale” for a show that insists on doing holiday specials, references to its own history, and other self-reverent patterns… I don’t know. I have smoke in my head.

38

WhiskeyTigerFoxtrot Apr 2, 2026 +40

Pretty sure the creators just went the path of Egoraptor/Arin Hanson. The stress of animating and creating shows on a set schedule became too much and they want to go back to playing video games for money.

40

rayword45 Apr 2, 2026 +10

I don't think this applies to Cusack at all. The man has been juggling multiple different shows all at once throughout the entirety of the 2020s.

10

ImTellingTheEmperor Apr 2, 2026 +9

Don't forget the cancellation happening days after them literally saying they're thinking about stopping after a couple more seasons.

9

AsstacularSpiderman Apr 2, 2026 +7

Couple seasons and a movie. Something is up. Either this is an elaborate shitpost or something bad happened behind the scenes. Shows like this just don't evaporate

7

Vivec_lore Apr 2, 2026 +1

Wonder what recent changes at Warner Brothers could have caused this 🤔

1

AsstacularSpiderman Apr 2, 2026 +3

The creators aren't exactly very discerning in their tastes of companions, including a very vocal pedophile

3

rayword45 Apr 3, 2026 +2

I don't think it's fair to Cusack *at all* to lump the two creators together like that when you're discussing potential controversies. I don't think any of Zach's "questionable" moments (whether it's the Shadman shit, or some stupid shit he said on a podcast, or his hilariously idiotic attempt at defending JonTron that made him look like a white supremacist eugenicist) prove him to be anything other than a terminally online dumbass, but I *still* think it's totally misleading to act as if Cusack has any comparable dirt on his name, since as far as I know he's kept a squeaky clean professional image.

2

gameofgroans Apr 3, 2026 +1

Who?

1

AsstacularSpiderman Apr 3, 2026 +1

Zach was pretty close to Shadman, a former fellow Newgrounds artists particularly well known for his CP controversies.

1

gameofgroans Apr 3, 2026 +1

Are we talking actual kiddie diddling or like loli art shit?

1

rayword45 Apr 3, 2026 +1

[Here's a post from the youtubedrama sublistnook that summarizes what the other dude is talking about](https://www.listnook.com/r/youtubedrama/comments/1epiilh/shadman_an_explanation/). TL;DR it's the latter, but with additional details like basing his drawings on actual children (including the children of other YouTubers) that make it a whole lot worse. Things I myself did not know that I just learned: he was kicked out of university and interviewed by Switzerland police over his drawings, and he was arrested in 2021 for assault with a deadly weapon while in Los Angeles

1

Otaku_Snake Apr 2, 2026 +10

I’ve been following these guys for about 15+ years, you could see the writing on the wall in the last season. It felt like the show was becoming the type of thing they normally poke fun at on their YouTube channels. They didn’t want to create something that felt forced

10

EmmBee27 Apr 2, 2026 +5

The fact that they haven't offered any explanation as to why they held these two episodes back is something that still bugs me. What was the plan with that? If they hadn't decided to end the show, would those episodes have aired as an April Fools surprise? Who knows. I guess it's me coping with it too. I'm pretty bummed to see it ending like this.

5

Granito_Rey Apr 3, 2026 +1

I'm going to choose to believe they saw the writing on the wall for Paramount acquiring HBO and decided "naw, f*** working for them", so they cut and run.

1

NovoMyJogo Apr 2, 2026 +3

It's not that deep

3

trampaboline Apr 2, 2026

If you think that was deep I pray for your inner life

0

EntertainmentBreeze Apr 2, 2026 +9

Creators gotta end it when they feel they should end it, even if I disagree with their decision. ***However,*** I'm kinda bothered that we're ending on random leftover episodes, rather than any sort of real finale. I didn't need anything crazy, or even super long... just something with a little closure, and a heartfelt moment for the Friends. I like to be able to say goodbye to characters.

9

slimebeastly Apr 2, 2026 +3

Looking forward to the first season of their follow-up project, Smile INC. Hang on, I'm off by a day. Damn it.

3

rayword45 Apr 2, 2026 +7

This is definitely conspiracy-brained, but I'm *extremely* confident that Zach Hadel is the reason they're ending the show and that Cusack would've been happy to keep it going. My theory is based on: * The amount of content both have made without the other. Just comparing IMDB pages makes Cusack look like a f****** content machine whereas Zach... did some voice acting I guess * The fact that Cusack was seemingly disappointed over YOLO not being renewed for a 4th season * Hadel having been known for having extremely sporadic output since as far back as the Newgrounds days If I'm right, then I suspect we'll see several more projects from Cusack in the future whereas Zach will return to doing podcasts/Lets Plays with his edgelord Newgrounds friends. I cannot imagine any networks or streamers will be particularly eager to buy a pitch from two dudes who signed a contract for 2 seasons then decided "nah, I'm out" *after production had already began* (I wouldn't say this if they had announced S3 as the end from the jump), but I think Cusack could pretty easily say "I didn't actually want to end the show, I was helping my partner save face" behind closed doors then point to his non-Smiling Friends track record as evidence.

7

Static-Stair-58 Apr 2, 2026 +5

Going out on top is the way to do it.

5

AsstacularSpiderman Apr 2, 2026 +15

This show barely made it halfway up the mountain

15

magirevols Apr 2, 2026 +2

Im expecting either the highest quality animation money can buy or just couple of key poses and we call it a day

2

Scharmberg Apr 2, 2026 +2

I wonder if they don’t want to work under the Ellison family (which would be fair) though I wonder if it is a part of the new ground days where most people can just stop when her they feel like it and they aren’t great in the semi corporate world. Who really knows, I would personally be would be a sell out but I also love job security, something that has been stressing me out lately and they are talented enough and most likely well off and most likely don’t need the work.

2

MikeDubbz Apr 2, 2026 +4

April Fools theory is holding up about as well as expected.

4

stormy2587 Apr 2, 2026 +1

Turns out the real smiling friends were the smiling friends we made along the way.

1

Cakeski Apr 2, 2026 +1

Blblblblblblblblbl!

1

bluehawk232 Apr 2, 2026 +1

I just hope they get actual rich evans in an episode

1

pasta2666 Apr 2, 2026 +1

"DESMOND!"

1

NoAdeptness1106 Apr 3, 2026 +1

Dang, can't believe it's almost over.

1

Terrible_Welcome8817 Apr 2, 2026 +1

I might be in the minority but this show really didn’t do much for me… maybe I’m just old. I miss China, IL. What’s Brad Neely up to these days?

1

rayword45 Apr 2, 2026 +1

I like Smiling Friends but I'd happily sacrifice all traces of it ever existing for just one more season of China IL. Unfortunately both of the shows Neely made after China were complete and utter dogshit. Most recent thing he seems to have done is publish a book in 2024 entitled "You, Me, and Ulysses S. Grant". I don't know anything about it, but I literally don't think it's possible for him to make anything worse than Brad Neely's Harg Nallin Sclopio Peepio was.

1

Terrible_Welcome8817 Apr 2, 2026 +1

That is unfortunate. I guess I’ll just have to rewatch all his YouTube stuff again lol

1

MecGuy2 Apr 2, 2026 +1

I was fully convinced that it was really ending until I watched this ad. Now I'm not sure.

1

zenexo Apr 3, 2026 +1

Why is that? I didn't want to watch and spoil any footage.

1

MecGuy2 Apr 3, 2026 +1

You should probably just watch for yourself, most of the trailer is just clips from the previous seasons. I think there are only two or three tiny new clips and they don't give away anything. In essence, one of the lines in the trailer is Charlie talking about how the Brazil episode was a fake out, and the background song is just "if this is it."

1

JessieJ577 Apr 2, 2026 -13

It’s better to go out on top than to flounder for a decade like Rick and Morty.

-13

tjugan24 Apr 2, 2026 +20

Cutting yourself short because you **might** turn out like another show is very saddening to me. But it was their choice, so I respect it.

20

chopsuirak Apr 2, 2026 +4

Maybe they could feel it comin?

4

Pale_Fire21 Apr 2, 2026 +3

Iirc that’s what Zach said. They’re basically out of ideas for this project and burnt out with Smiling Friends consuming the majority of their working hours and it’s all anyone who interacts with them seems to care about. The way they saw it, it’s either go out on top or quote “make f****** slop” > “We wouldn’t want to be doing seasons half-hearted or burnt out, we’re not feeling it,” Hadel said. “It’s not fair to us, and it’s not fair to the audience to give you f—ing slop. That sucks.” https://popculture.com/tv-shows/news/smiling-friends-shocker-hit-adult-swim-show-ending-as-creators-walk-away/

3

chopsuirak Apr 2, 2026 +1

Man, it would help if I looked for interviews instead of dingle farting around on listnook. Thanks for sharing that!

1

Hakuraze Apr 2, 2026 +1

The great thing about animation is that you don't need to keep around sets and props and wardrobe somewhere, so hopefully they could return and do new seasons if they get some new good ideas at some point.

1

chopsuirak Apr 2, 2026 +2

Or even bust out a couple of episodes as specials here and there (holidays, random shit)

2

Ravenous_Stream Apr 2, 2026 +1

More likely they felt they had exhausted their ideas for the foreseeable future, that's all

1

cowboys30 Apr 2, 2026 -1

Nah, any Rick and Morty is awesome.

-1

Cappahere Apr 2, 2026 -7

Rip their crew who didn't know about the creators wanting to end the series and now are out of work.

-7

DukeOfJelly Apr 2, 2026

Did anyone esle catch the toonami tom reference at the very end?

0

TheCulturalBomb Apr 2, 2026

All good things come to an end folks. And I still rewatch episodes for fun.

0

chaos0510 Apr 2, 2026 -1

Unexpectedly amazing show

-1

Smiling Friends | Final Episodes Trailer | adult swim

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