The Simpsons has brought Season 36 of the animated series to an end, and the final episode of the season gave a surprising shout out to another big animated series with a fun “cameo” from Smiling Friends. Adult Swim has been making waves in the last few years thanks to a juggernaut of a breakout original animated hit, Smiling Friends. Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel’s original animated series has been a quick rising success among Adult Swim fans, and of animation fans as a whole. Some of whom appear to be on the staff behind the scenes at The Simpsons as well.
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The Simpsons Season 36 finale sees Bart and Lisa moving on from The Itchy & Scratchy Show when they find out it’s now fit for babies, and then split in different directions. With their new interests taking them into different kind of streaming shows online, it’s revealed that Bart is a fan of a new series called “Screaming Friends” that looks a lot like Smiling Friends. Even Smiling Friends co-creator Michael Cusack got in on the fun of the reference by joking, “Screaming Friends looks like a way better show!”
Smiling Friends Makes a “Cameo” in The Simpsons Season 36
The Simpsons Season 36 finale is titled “Estranger Things” and is largely hinged on the fact that Bart and Lisa have bonded over a shared love of The Itchy & Scratchy Show. After happening to catch an episode as young kids, the two of them have since watched it every day. It’s the one thing that kept them together despite their differences, but this all changes when Marge reveals that the show has created a whole new line of products for babies like Maggie. Now that the show is for babies, both Lisa and Bart are no longer interested in the show anymore.
Then deciding to watch their own shows on their own tablets instead, Lisa watches a New Girl parody, “Quirky Girl,” and Bart decides to watch “Screaming Friends.” Not only does it have a title sequence much like Smiling Friends, but the show’s characters are even seen in a break room much like how Charlie and Pim hang out in with the original series. Bart even furthers the joke with, “Obviously the jokes are great, but what I love is the storytelling” when it’s clear that the show’s characters are just running around and screaming.
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Is The Simpsons Taking a Shot at Smiling Friends?
The reference and Bart joke after might seem like The Simpsons is taking a shot at a more modern day animated hit, but that’s not really the case. “Screaming Friends” is positioned as the next cool thing that Bart is interested in once he moves on from The Itchy & Scratchy Show, and Bart himself is complimenting the fact that there’s something deeper within it. Instead it’s like an olive branch that The Simpsons has extended as it recognizes the existence of another popular series much like it’s done in the past (to less successful degrees).
It’s a sign that the Smiling Friends has made it into the wider pop culture space, and a really good sign for its future. Adult Swim fans are currently waiting on the now in the works third season of Smiling Friends, which has yet to announce its release date or window as of the time of this publication. It’s going to be sharing a first look during the Annecy International Animation Film Festival later this Summer for a few lucky fans, but for everyone else, you can find the first two seasons of the series streaming with HBO Max.
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