Smiling Friends - did u smile
- Thread starter hooboy
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- Joined
- Nov 5, 2023
Yep they're never going to have that level of creative outlet again and will resent the decision. All they had to do was tell Adult Swim "we're either getting a year break or we're quitting" unless it was a hook nose decision outside of their control. Zach is known to self sabotage though.
I get the process of making the show is grueling but jesus christ we're talking about barely a handful of themes and stories before we're burnt out? Seriously?
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2015
It's more weird to me that despite Zach and Michael clearly saying they were on good terms with Adult Swim and even that AS supported them pausing the show people online like this make up behind the scenes drama based on literally nothing whatsoever.
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2023
So do you not find it weird that they announced 4 and 5 between 3 wrapping up but before airing? Yet now they're not even going to make 4, there's a disconnect there.
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2024
Im gonna go against the autist grain and say that I'm glad that this happened. While I enjoyed Smiling Friends immensely, there was a nagging feeling in the back of my head that felt like Mike and Zach were holding themselves back in terms of humor and story. Ive seen them at their best and they can do better and I hope their departure from AS will let them become the edgy, post-NG butterflies they were always ment to be
I swear to god if Mewgenics really is the impetus of all the Newgrounds oldfags to start going balls to the wall I will sell my soul to the bald fat retard that is Edmund
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2015
What I think happened and this is also just speculation but based on what Zach and Michael said in that video was they went to start writing season 4 and realized they weren't feeling it and didn't have the ambition they did in the earlier seasons and decided to put it on hold. I don't think it was an issue with Adult Swim. AS promoted the shit out the series and seems to love it.
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- Jul 4, 2022
I kind of wonder if it’s more that they were given a smaller budget this coming season and they just ended it out of principle. They did kind of switch animation studios each season. WB and the rest of the industry are in a rough place, but maybe I’m just biased against big media.
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- Nov 5, 2023
I know, read what I actually put in my original post. I'm not saying AS didn't like the show at all.
They'd had a long break between writing and animating the first episode and S1 and then S2 was a decent break too but S3 was a quick turnaround after S2.
Kether
kiwifarms.net
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- Aug 8, 2025
I can't believe they just "ran out of ideas" with only 25 11 minute episodes. thats retarded. imagine if Smiling Friends was on NBC instead of adult swim, they'd have to come up with 25 22minute episodes every year. fucking Venture bros is an autistic mess of a show, but thats because the two guys making that were able to come up with 20+ ideas for episodes every season and were usually pretty good about ending each season in a satisfying manner too. Aqua Teen Hunger Force hit over 100 before they got tired and that didn't stop them from cranking out episodes. Smiling Friends is on par with Aqua Teen in terms of how random they can be in terms of episodes. they could have easily just did fan requests or something.
to be fair, one of the biggest jokes is being on "good terms" pretty sure Nick Rochefort and Shane Gillis both said they were on "good terms" with their bosses before they both got shitcanned
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- Nov 5, 2023
NG guys are fundamentally lazy though, they use the "I just want creative control over every aspect because I'm a creative genius" as a way of working at their own pace with no deadlines or being able to not even make the show in the first place.
Much easier to ask for money online and to promise to make something than to actually make something.
Divine Schizo
kiwifarms.net
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- Sep 27, 2025
"Oh cool, the Smiling Friends thread is top of the active threads list on the front page, I wonder if season 4 got a release date?"
5 Minutes later...
5 Minutes later...
Mr. Bobby Brown
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2024
The fentanyl crisis is only gonna get worse huh...
Seriously though, Glad they're ending the show on their own terms, but damn it hurts to not at least get Season 4 and 5 before they called it.
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2015
I did read it. You said that Zach is a Newgrounds guy with a bad work ethic who is overwhelmed by having to work on season 4 so quickly after 3 and stopped the show because of it. I think it's what Zach and Michael themselves said. I think after working on the show the past 6 years or so they feel burnt out and need a break. It's primarily them writing it and they likely just ran out of good stories to tell.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2025
Working on something for six years is a long time. Can't blame them for hitting their limit with it.
Also feels like they have a golden ticket timing wise more or less. They've seen how shows of their childhood end up getting milked to death, they've seen how it can happen to shows that were around the same time as them, and they've got experience inside working with them.
If I had to take a guess, maybe the Pop-Up Event in Brooklyn made it click for them just where it was heading. Your funny cartoons having a following is one thing, getting paid to make them is another, and so is a network airing them like an actual show. All big steps up from one another. But to see a real life replica of your characters and a set would be an entirely different world from the rest of that stuff, especially if it's something like Smiling Friends.
Call me overly optimistic but I kind of get the vibe this isn't for any past lolcow type stuff from Zach and Michael. I think it's just life and growing up in an era where they've seen the things that were once good get hollowed out.
When it comes to media, not overstaying ones welcome is a virtue not often appreciated in the present, but can certainly be appreciated when looking back.
Also feels like they have a golden ticket timing wise more or less. They've seen how shows of their childhood end up getting milked to death, they've seen how it can happen to shows that were around the same time as them, and they've got experience inside working with them.
If I had to take a guess, maybe the Pop-Up Event in Brooklyn made it click for them just where it was heading. Your funny cartoons having a following is one thing, getting paid to make them is another, and so is a network airing them like an actual show. All big steps up from one another. But to see a real life replica of your characters and a set would be an entirely different world from the rest of that stuff, especially if it's something like Smiling Friends.
Call me overly optimistic but I kind of get the vibe this isn't for any past lolcow type stuff from Zach and Michael. I think it's just life and growing up in an era where they've seen the things that were once good get hollowed out.
When it comes to media, not overstaying ones welcome is a virtue not often appreciated in the present, but can certainly be appreciated when looking back.
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2025
Well obviously this is because Zach and Michael were given an ultimatum of either participating in an elite baby-eating party in a scary French castle or losing their show.
Really though kinda disappointed that we're not getting seasons 4 & 5, but understandable. Since they have their own animation studio I think we can expect to see some projects from them in the future.
Really though kinda disappointed that we're not getting seasons 4 & 5, but understandable. Since they have their own animation studio I think we can expect to see some projects from them in the future.
That was specifically a dream Ding Dong had, which makes it even funnier to me.
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2021
Man, I really feel like this announcement would hurt way less if the episodes were 22 minutes long instead of 11 minutes like they were, Season 1 of the Simpsons is longer than all 3 seasons of Smiling Friends back-to-back and that puts into perspective how short the series is.
Oh well, dont cry because its over, smile because it happened.
Oh well, dont cry because its over, smile because it happened.
LMlurker
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2021
It's clear they were running out of ideas, and the level of control they exerted over the animation and stuff was pretty grueling.
Still, I think they should make a movie or a game or something to end it. They're never gonna get this large of an audience for whatever else they do, and it would make a lot more sense to try everything to savor it without getting lazy or repetitive.
We got 10 good seasons of the Simpsons even though the original creative vision was drained after the first three. What would it look like for smiling friends to be shoved up its own ass like mid 90s Simpsons? As it stands, we'll never get to see.
I don't know, it's easy to respect the people who quit while they're ahead when you look at rick and morty or disenchanted or the King of the Hill reboot or whatever, but those are all people trying the same thing over and over again and wondering why it doesn't work anymore.
A musical theater variety show, a serious high-effort video game, a season that's strictly a drama instead of a comedy, a spinoff with entirely different characters in the same setting... Idk. There's difference between "it sucks because they stopped trying" and "it sucks because they tried and failed", and I respect the latter a lot more. I don't spite them their retirement, but I don't view it as particularly admirable.
Still, I think they should make a movie or a game or something to end it. They're never gonna get this large of an audience for whatever else they do, and it would make a lot more sense to try everything to savor it without getting lazy or repetitive.
We got 10 good seasons of the Simpsons even though the original creative vision was drained after the first three. What would it look like for smiling friends to be shoved up its own ass like mid 90s Simpsons? As it stands, we'll never get to see.
I don't know, it's easy to respect the people who quit while they're ahead when you look at rick and morty or disenchanted or the King of the Hill reboot or whatever, but those are all people trying the same thing over and over again and wondering why it doesn't work anymore.
A musical theater variety show, a serious high-effort video game, a season that's strictly a drama instead of a comedy, a spinoff with entirely different characters in the same setting... Idk. There's difference between "it sucks because they stopped trying" and "it sucks because they tried and failed", and I respect the latter a lot more. I don't spite them their retirement, but I don't view it as particularly admirable.
- Joined
- May 28, 2024
If the rumors are true that they just dropped this on the staff without warning, laying off people who thought they had job security for 2 more seasons, then it's a pretty awful thing to do.
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