SDCC 2024: Smiling Friends Creators Have Talked Adding Anime to the Show

Smiling Friends has become a massive hit for Adult Swim, with the programming block wasting little time following the season two finale to confirm that a third season was on the way. Thanks to Cartoon Network’s mature-skewed platform focusing on surreal animated series and anime adaptations, Adult Swim is set to release an anime series focusing on Rick & Morty. At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, we here at ComicBook had the opportunity to chat with Smiling Friends’ co-creators Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel. The pair confirmed that not only would they be down to do an anime, but there have already been discussions.

In chatting about the possibility of the Smiling Friends receiving their own anime adaptation, co-creator Michael Cusack kicked things off by confirming that there have been discussions of bringing the crew into the anime medium, “We’ve talked about that. We like the idea of that, we’ll see if it will happen. We like anime and we like Japan culture.”

Smiling Friends Could Bring a Smile To Anime

Co-creator Zach Hadel then took the opportunity to jump into the conversation, stating that the anime adaptation might not be so cut and dry, “I don’t know if it would necessarily be ‘Smiling Friends The Anime’ but we’ve talked about doing that as a style. It would be something that we would need to nail, it couldn’t be lame or a 90s version of the show. It would have to be done right and not cringey. It would be horrible, don’t watch it.” 

While Smiling Friends has been confirmed for a third season, Adult Swim hasn’t revealed when we can expect the show’s return. If you haven’t had the chance to check out the two hilarious seasons of The Smiling Friends, they are available to stream on MAX. Here’s how the streaming service describes the second season of the series by Michael Cusak and Zach Hadel, “In season two of ‘SMILING FRIENDS,’ Pim, Charlie, Zongo, Allan and Glep continue their mission to bring happiness to the world, whether it’s a washed-up retro video game character, a troubled marriage, or even the president of the United States.”

Want to see if Charlie, Pim, and their co-workers eventually get their own anime adaptation? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for the latest updates on the Smiling Friends and Adult Swim.