Adult Swim Sets October Return for ‘Smiling Friends’ and New Series ‘Haha, You Clowns’

Adult Swim has announced that its hit animated series “Smiling Friends” will return for its third season on Sunday, October 5, at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT. The network will also premiere a new animated comedy, “Haha, You Clowns,” on Sunday, October 19, at 11:45 p.m. ET/PT. Both shows will be available to stream on HBO Max the following day.

“Smiling Friends,” created by Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack, has become one of Adult Swim’s top performers on HBO Max, rivaling “Rick and Morty.” The show’s third season will continue the misadventures of Pim and Charlie, two employees of a company dedicated to spreading happiness. According to a press release, the new season promises more surreal humor and unexpected events, including a “showdown spectacle with an Ancient Witch.” The series has already been renewed for a fourth and fifth season.

The new series “Haha, You Clowns,” created by Joe Cappa, is described as an “unexpected” comedy that “celebrates wholesome family programming.” The show follows three teenage boys and their father as they navigate life after the death of their mother, with her presence still felt in their daily lives. The series, which began as an Adult Swim short, had a first-look debut at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

According to Adult Swim president Michael Ouweleen, while the two shows are “totally different from each other,” they are “united in that they’re hilarious, gently unnerving, and sometimes even profound.” Both series are produced by Williams Street, Adult Swim’s in-house production company.