Smiling Friends: The Popular Animated Series Ends After Season 3, What's the Reason?

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - The popular adult animated series, Smiling Friends, shocked fans with the announcement of the cancellation of its fourth and fifth seasons, despite having previously been renewed for additional seasons.

This decision was announced by creators Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel in February 2026.

This announcement came as a major surprise, considering that the series, known for its surreal and fast-paced humor, had already been renewed for two additional seasons.

However, the creators chose to end the series after season 3.

The primary reason behind this difficult decision was also stated by Cusack and Hadel in an audio message billed as an “important announcement” on the network’s X and Instagram accounts.

On February 25, 2026, Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack officially announced via video that "Smiling Friends" would end after its third season.

This news quickly spread and was reported by various media outlets on February 26, 2026.

The creators emphasized that the cancellation of the fourth and fifth seasons was purely their personal decision, not that of the broadcast network.

Michael Cusack explained that they both felt exhausted after years of developing the show and always wanted to end the series while it was still at its peak.

"To be perfectly honest, after we finished season 3, Zach and I just both had the same feeling where we felt pretty burnt out after putting years and years into this," Cusack, 35, said.

"But also pretty accomplished. We just came to this feeling where we're like, 'I think that could just be it...' We both felt like it was right."

Smiling Friends: S3 Coming This Fall + Seasons 4 & 5 on the way pic.twitter.com/zj6kiB6Hvd

— adult swim (@adultswim) June 11, 2025

The cancellation was all the more surprising considering that "Smiling Friends" had previously been renewed for a fourth and fifth season.

The renewal was announced on June 11, 2025, alongside the third season preview in Annecy.

By August 2025, all indications were that the series would continue for a long time, with fans hoping to enjoy more adventures with its unique characters.

The fact that the series ranked among the platform's top 10 shows during the second season premiere further heightened expectations for its continuation.

Although the decision to end the series came from the creators, Adult Swim, the network that broadcasts "Smiling Friends," expressed its full support.

Cusack revealed that Adult Swim told them, "If you don't want to make cartoons, we won't stop you. Take a break. Come back or not."

Although the series is ending, fans still have two additional episodes of Smiling Friends season 3, which will be released on April 12, 2026.

These episodes were produced concurrently with the third season but have not yet aired.

Hadel explained that these episodes are not "final," but rather "little followers, little rogue planets out there, not thematically related."