^{Credit: Smiling Friends (Adult Swim)}

Last week, Smiling Friends creators Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack made a shocking announcement. Their hit Adult Swim series would be ending with its third season, despite already being renewed for a fourth and fifth. Although they had started writing scripts for next season, Hadel and Cusack cited three reasons for ending the show early. 1) Burnout, 2) A Sense of Fulfillment, 3) Fear That the Show Will Overstay Its Welcome. Their reasons are admirable, and Adult Swim has been understanding. Since humanity as a species can’t accept finality, though, I have a hard time believing we’ll never see Pim and Charlie again.

Hadel and Cusack haven’t ruled out the possibility of ever coming back for more episodes or a special. They aren’t committing to a return, however. For now, there are still two holdover episodes from Season 3, which will both air on April 12, 2026. After that, there will be no more Smiling Friends for the foreseeable future… or maybe ever. As such, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences might have only one more chance to award Smiling Friends an Emmy.

For its first season, which aired most of its episodes on January 10, 2022, the Smiling Friends team submitted “A Silly Halloween Special,” in which Pim’s simple task to retrieve firewood for the company’s party goes to dark places (in more ways than one). That year’s nominees for Outstanding Short Form Animated Program were The Boys Presents: Diabolical, Love, Death & Robots, Robot Chicken, Star Wars: Visions, and When Billie Met Lisa. Despite achieving instant cult status, Smiling Friends wasn’t nominated, with the Emmy ultimately going to Love, Death & Robots for “Jibaro.”

For its second season, Smiling Friends submitted the premiere episode, “Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition DX 4K (Anniversary Director's Cut)." The episode was as hilariously absurd as its title, but by the time Smiling Friends returned in 2024, the Primetime Emmys had retired the short-form category. Smiling Friends could still be nominated for Outstanding Animated Program. Alas, the competition was stacked in a lineup that included The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers, Love, Death & Robots, and Arcane, the latter of which won for "The Dirt Under Your Nails."

The Animation Peer Group did nominate another Adult Swim series that year, Common Side Effects for "Cliff's Edge." It makes sense why voters favored Common Side Effects, which is not only funny, but also offers timely commentary presented in clever ways. Smiling Friends isn’t the show you go to for smart commentary. As far as shock humor, surrealism, and the blackest of black comedy go, there isn’t a funnier show currently on the air than Smiling Friends. That’s not always the TV Academy’s cup of tea, however. Just ask another Adult Swim series that never got nominated, Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

At the same time, it seemed unlikely that the Emmys would ever go for arguably Adult Swim’s biggest hit, Rick and Morty. After missing out on nominations for its first two seasons, Rick and Morty finally broke through with the Emmy-winning “Pickle Rick.” That episode was something of a cultural phenomenon that proved too big to ignore. While Smiling Friends has been an immense success for Adult Swim, it hasn’t quite had an episode that’s captured the zeitgeist like “Pickle Rick” did.

Regardless, Smiling Friends’ third season, which premiered last October, delivered some of the most uproarious episodes yet. Cartoon Contender even ranked the season #4 on our list of the Top 10 Animated Shows of 2025. It’s currently unclear which episode the creators will submit for Emmy consideration. In any case, the season is plentiful with options, from the premiere of "Silly Samuel," to the horrifyingly hysterical "Curse of the Green Halloween Witch," to the sort-of Christmas special, “The Glep Ep.” This season is also full of deep-cut references for animation fans, parodying everything from the Smurfs to Tex Avery.

"Le Voyage Incroyable de Monsieur Grenouille" is another standout, in which Mr. Frog seemingly accomplishes everything he set out to do as emperor of Earth. There’s nothing left for him now, seeing Mr. Frog embark on a journey of self-discovery. He finds newfound fulfillment upon eating the Bug of Knowledge. The episode ends with Mr. Frog abruptly saying goodbye. This oddly mirrors Hadel and Cusack’s decision to suddenly walk away from the show, apparently having nothing left to say. Are the creators channeling their feelings through Mr. Frog… or am I reading too much into it? Either way, maybe we should view this as the show’s unofficial series finale.

Although the decision to end the show has brought it more attention, Smiling Friends faces an uphill battle at this year’s Emmys. On the plus side, Arcane, Common Side Effects, and Love, Death & Robots aren’t eligible this year, leaving at least three spots open in the Outstanding Animated Program race. However, the Animation Peer Group has several past winners to choose from, including Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Primal, Futurama, Rick and Morty, and the presumed frontrunner, South Park. The feature Predator: Killer of Killers could also potentially be competitive here, along with new shows like Long Story Short. 

Beyond the Emmys, Smiling Friends hasn’t had much of a presence on the awards scene. That said, Hadel did get an Annie nomination this year for voicing the Evil Wizard in the episode "Shmaloogles." Hadel is also the voice of Charlie, while Cusack voices Pim. If not in the Outstanding Animated Program race, it’d be great to see one of the Smiling Friends cast members break through in Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance. There’s also an outside chance that a Smiling Friends crew member could be recognized in the jury award, Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation.

While the Animation Peer Group was quick to recognize Common Side Effects, it took time for them to catch up with shows like Rick and Morty, Archer, and BoJack Horseman, the latter of which still never won. With Smiling Friends ending, the Emmys may miss their shot to catch up with it. Then again, even if Smiling Friends had lasted for ten seasons, it still might’ve been one of those shows that the TV Academy just never got. I think even the creators know their show is an acquired taste, and Emmy voters aren’t their target demographic. Nonetheless, nothing would put a bigger smile on my face than to see Smiling Friends nominated at the 78^th Primetime Emmys, be it for the show itself, the voice work, or this song:

FYC “Pim's Song” – Outstanding Music & Lyrics

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Available Now!