I am not really an avid watcher of Adult Swim at all, to be honest, but I guess I became a viewer of it thanks to one show. That show is “Smiling Friends,” an animated comedy unveiled in 2020 and greenlit for a season release in 2022. Created by the minds of Michael Cusak and Zach Hadel, the first season surrounding the misadventures of this quirky little nonprofit charity dedicated to making people smile received a highly positive reception. The team behind this humorous masterpiece has really been working hard at continuing to keep the quality going, with season two releasing early 2024, and now with season three this month. While not all episodes of this brand new season are released yet, how are things looking so far?
“Smiling Friends” is a simple show in concept, a wholesome charity dedicated to making people smile, primarily following the shenanigans of the optimistic Pim Pimling and the more pragmatic Charlie Dompler, alongside their other two coworkers, Allan and Glep, alongside the very fascinating character that is Mr. Boss. In truth, though, you could see the show, with its style and humor, as a product of the evolution and ubiquity of internet culture. Both Cusak and Hadel were well-known artists and entertainers on the internet for well over a decade before the conception of “Smiling Friends,” so it is only natural that lots of the frantic, bizarre, and surreal internet humor, along with a mish-mash of the two’s unique art style, to carry into the show.
That being said, what is there to say about this current season so far? Really, it just continues the excellent formulas it’s used for the previous two, while still remaining engaging and hilarious. Pim and Charlie are usually assigned a client to help smile, with the rest of the episode following their unexpected journey to make that happen. The first of the three episodes released so far (at the time of writing this article) for this season is titled “Silly Samuel,” with the absolutely, ridiculously silly titular Silly Samuel striving to be taken seriously despite his wacky appearance. So many of the interactions with this guy were funny, and the B-plot involving a random city search of the Smiling Friends HQ kept things entertaining with the two events converging in a satisfying way.
The second episode is a special one. Though you would really have to know the previous seasons to understand this, it follows the now former-emperor-of-Earth, Mr. Frog, as he navigates his newfound loss of purpose and apathy, ending his character arc across the whole show. I will keep it vague, but trust me. It will change your life, and your fundamental perception of what it means to be alive and human. Truly magnificent.
As for the third episode, it’s just too weird for me. As Pim and Charlie fall into a sinkhole in the office, meeting a strange and hideously grotesque Mole-Man (believe me when I say that), they must endure his creepy obsession with them, while Allan and Glep try to fill in the others’ roles, helping a client. Some of the jokes in this episode did land for me, but it was a bit too grotesque for me, which is saying a lot. It was not unwatchable by any means, but it’s not my most preferred of this season. There is still so much more to come, though, so do not take this as traditional criticism.
As a whole, I think these episodes are very, very solid. The opening episode with Silly Samuel is definitely my favorite so far, but it does not really reach the same highs as other season-opening episodes have done in the past with “Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition DX 4K (Anniversary Director’s Cut)” for season two, and the pilot, “Desmond’s Big Day Out” for season one. While all three of these do incorporate their dark and nonsensical humor really well, I feel like the latter seasons had better overall concepts, which could be used to create a better first impression of their respective seasons. They are all good first episodes, but season three’s is not the best one, simply.
There are some early nitpicks to be made, but really, season three of “Smiling Friends” just continues to keep up the fantastic work done in the previous seasons, with stellar jokes, quirkier characters, and stories that will fundamentally shift your understanding of the human condition. The show is on Adult Swim and is also streaming on HBO Max, so check it out if you can, or don’t; I’m not forcing you, do whatever you want.
