“Smiling Friends” Creators Lend A Smile with Season 3 Preview at SDCC 2025

The San Diego Comic-Con 2025 panel for “Smiling Friends” gave fans a taste of what’s to come, confirming that the show will continue to embrace its uniquely chaotic and absurd brand of humor. Creators Michael Cusack and Zack Hadel, who voice the main characters Charlie and Pim, presented a preview of the upcoming third season and shared insights into their creative process.

Moderated by Sabina Graves, the panel, titled “Adult Swim’s Smiling Friends Season 3 Preview,” featured the full screening of the first episode, “Silly Samuel.” The episode focuses on Charlie and Pim’s attempt to help a new character, Silly Samuel, whom the creators described as a “demented Forky” from “Toy Story.” During the Q&A, the creators’ personalities shone through as they engaged in a chaotic exchange, with Hadel at one point humorously declaring the panel a “cringe YouTube video.”

Cusack and Hadel also delved into the creation of the character Silly Samuel, voiced by Connor O’Malley. Cusack explained that they were looking for a “sincere angry yell” from someone “losing his mind and unraveling” for the character’s voice. Hadel added that he “drew the most messed up drawing I could and ran with it” for the character’s design.

The panel concluded with two major announcements: two new holiday episodes are in the works, and a teaser for Season 3 was shown, which promises more of the surreal, off-the-rails humor that has made the show a fan favorite. The creators made it clear that “Smiling Friends” will continue to thrive by pushing the boundaries of its unique comedic style.

Smiling Friends season three is expected to debut this fall on Adult Swim.