Smiling Friends ending after Season 3 - transcript
Smiling Friends, created by Australia's own Michael Cusack and (America's own) Zach Hadel, is ending after Season 3. The creators made the announcement on cable network Adult Swim's YouTube channel.
Two additional episodes of Season 3 are set to air April 12 in the US. The show does not currently appear on any Australian streaming services.
In the announcement (we have a full transcript below) Cusack and Hadel describe wanting to take a break from "really grinding on this show non-stop without any breaks 24/7". Cusack says "after we finished season 3, Zach and I just both had the same feeling where we felt pretty burnt out after putting years and years into this."
Zach Hadel continues, saying "even from the very very beginning of the show, we always said, oh man, how great would it be to really try to make the show as good as it could be and really put 110% into it and then go out what feels like on top, what feels like leave them wanting more rather than people going, oh, that show is still on the air? Oh god."
Cusack insisted that "this is not the end of Zach and I collaborating," while keeping the door open for a return to Smiling Friends if the pair feels it's right to do so. But this will not be in the short-term.
Michael Cusack is likely better known in Australia as the creator of a very popular set of YouTube one-offs, some following Damo and Darren.
'Ciggie Butt Brain,' which features the duo, has 10 million views on YouTube. Cusack also created 'YOLO: Crystal Fantasy' for Adult Swim and 'Koala Man' for Hulu / Disney+. His many US series show animated glimpses of Australiana, and especially of his upbringing in Wollongong. Cusack attended Unanderra Public School and the Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts.
Speaking to the Illawarra Mercury in 2023, Cusack described the difficulties he faced trying to work with Australian networks like the ABC:
"I'm completely done with networks like the ABC because in my opinion they're not really interested in representing an Australia that is, I think, what Australians want to see. I think because we're here, we have to hide certain things. We're a little bit embarrassed to be our true selves. We're kind of stuck in this strange situation where we don't know if we want to be seen as silly or serious. We definitely have an identity issue in Australia, but Americans can see us a little bit differently.
And described how much more open US networks are to his unique local humour:
Americans are very interested in buying Australian shows. They love Australian humour - you'd be surprised. That's got its problems - they also see us as on a very surface-level basis, but the good thing about that is you can actually counteract that and make them learn more about Australia through exposure - get a little bit more in-depth than things like Crocodile Dundee and Steve Irwin. My goal is to make them understand things like Woolies, Telstra and Centrelink as much as we do as Australians."
Here is the full transcript from the announcement video (edited slightly for clarity):
Michael
Hello everybody. How's everybody doing?
Zach
Hello everybody.
Michael
Hello Zach.
Zach
And hello Michael. Well, we said hello to the world. We said hello to each other. We should probably get into the real meat and potatoes of why we're here, and I'm going to cut right to the chase. This is not a bit. This is not a joke. Michael and I are here to announce that Smiling Friends will be ending after season 3 is done.
Michael
Yes. And we know that's super disappointing to hear.
Zach
Well, I think people's first question might be why? What's the reason?
Michael
Yes, that's that's it. We should explain why. And to be perfectly honest, after we finished season 3, Zach and I just both had the same feeling where we felt pretty burnt out after putting years and years into this, but also pretty accomplished. Like we just came to this feeling where we're like, I think that could just be it after season 3. And we both felt like it was right.
Zach
Yeah I mean, even from the very very beginning of the show, we always said, "Oh man, how great would it be to really try to make the show as good as it could be and really put 110% into it and then go out what feels like on top, what feels like leave them wanting more rather than people going, "Oh, that show is still on the air. Oh god." It just feels, like you said, after several years of really really grinding on this show non-stop without any breaks 24/7, we got to a point where we just felt like that's a good spot to end it. And we wouldn't want to be doing more seasons half-hearted like with half, you know, or burnt out or not feeling it. That's not fair to us and it's not fair to the audience to give you guys fucking slop. That's not really, that sucks.
Michael
Yeah, exactly. And people might wonder, we could give it to other people to run it, like another show, like a like all these other shows that run for ages, but I don't know. We It just feel too weird. It's not that type of show. It's so from Zach and I from the scripts, from all of it. We're so control freaky over it.
Zach
And it would be the same show. It's just not that kind of show. It's not built like that.
Michael
Unfortunately. But yeah, I mean, it's very weird to do this, but this was our decision. And it wasn't, you know. Adult Swim are very supportive. When we told them exactly this, they said, you know, if you're not feeling making a cartoon, we're not going to stop you. Go have a break. Either come back or don't. That's the other thing. We could come back in the future and make more episodes if we if you want if we feel like it. And they've been super cool and said they would let us do that. Uh, but maybe not. Like, who knows? We'll have to determine that in the future.
Zach
And we're the ones that feel feel like it's a better thing. If we tell you guys, oh yeah, we're taking a really long break, a hiatus for a couple of years, that feels almost like we're promising you something. It's easier and it's better and it's cleaner to say this is a good spot to to end it. If we really feel inspired, if we really feel like we've got great ideas and we're hungry to do it again, uh we you know, absolutely we'll come back maybe for a special or some more episodes. But it's got to be right and it's got to be done right. And we have to know that we're going to make something that's great for you guys that you guys can enjoy.
Michael
Yeah.
Zach
And that we enjoy.
Michael
Exactly. And this is not the end of Zach and I collaborating. It's not the end of us making projects on our own, too. It's just this show. We just feel like we've we've done it. Like we feel like we got it out of our system and that's it. Zach, is there anything else?
Zach
We squirt we squirted the whole thing out of our systems. It's all shot out everywhere.
Michael
Yes. Uh well, there is some good news.
Zach
Oh, there is?
Michael
A little bit of good news. I know that's very disappointing. But there's also going to be two extra episodes of Smiling Friends coming out that we've completed, coming out on April 12th at 11:00 p.m. on Adult Swim. So, these are just two episodes we're working on last year. And they're not finales.
Zach
And they're part of season 3. So, these are two episodes. Season 3 has 10 episodes total, which is the eight you guys have already all seen, plus these two ones, which are little stragglers, little rogue planets out there, but they're not thematically related. They're not big finales. So, hopefully you enjoy two other little stragglers. Maybe you will, maybe you won't. I hope you do. Heavens. I hope you do. I hope.
Michael
I think they will.
Zach
Oh, I me too. I mean, that'd be wonderful.
Michael
Yes. But look, we know this is very disappointing and it's been very hard. It sucks. We know and it's been very hard to even record this for it because it's just a very difficult thing to say for us. So, we hope you understand. We hope you've enjoyed what we've done. It's been amazing. The fans have been so good and so it's it's been the best. It's been a ride of a lifetime, but I hope I hope you would see where we're coming from. Uh, Zach, do you want to add anything else?
Zach
Just I mean for real like the the the show got way bigger than either of us ever imagined, you know, all the fan art, all the costumes, like literally every people sharing memes, all all of it, every part of it. Uh every drunk guy at a bar that gets right up on my nose and goes, I love that.
Michael
I love that the most. That's usually me to be honest.
Zach
That, that's just you Michael. But all of it's really it's been surreal and great and the crew for real who brought this insane, can I say insane, project brought to life.
Michael
That's all all because of them genuinely. Our crew has been so amazing on this show.
Zach
Go hire them. Hire everyone. Hire all of our crew, hire all of our crew
Michael
Yes and we wanted. even though this has been kind of an awkward recording, to do we wanted to do this because we wanted you to hear us you know say this honestly rather than just like a picture with text.
Zach
Which sucks. Nobody wants to see that. No, it's better to just hear it from us. And it's a bummer. It's a huge bummer. We know. But we're still going to be doing stuff. Anyway, that's I guess that's it, isn't it, Zach?
Zach
Well, as the little cartoon guy said, that's all, folks. I think that's all, folks.
Michael
Yes, true. So true. Thank you, everyone.
Zach
Thanks, everybody.
