Smiling Friends

Smiling Friends centers on a tiny company devoted to making people smile. Pim is relentlessly upbeat, while Charlie is burned out, sarcastic, and often lazy. Together they staff a hotline for callers who need cheering. What start as simple visits quickly spiral into surreal, chaotic assignments that expose odd corners of human behavior. Episodes shift between slapstick and sudden melancholy, sending the pair into bizarre locations and tense client interactions that test their methods. Recurring oddball characters turn small jobs into unpredictable set pieces. The tone keeps you off balance, flipping from jokey absurdism to unexpectedly tender moments that underline how messy helping someone can be. Its short runtime per episode keeps momentum brisk and surprises frequent.

Released in 2020, Smiling Friends was created by Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel. The show features voice work by the creators and a small cast, combining hand drawn, loose animation with a DIY aesthetic that supports its offbeat comedic style.

While Smiling Friends drew strong fan praise, it did not rack up major industry awards in its early years. Instead recognition came more from critical lists and online buzz, highlighting its originality and bold tonal choices. It earned mentions on year end lists and praise from animation critics.

Viewers often praise its mix of surreal comedy and emotional beats, reflected in a solid user score, 8.506/10 from 348 votes. The series riffs on workplace absurdity, the awkwardness of consolation, and contrasts optimism with cynicism, using dark, silly scenarios to probe how people look for connection and ongoing conversation.

Despite a short run, the show's oddball sensibility and memorable character designs found an eager internet audience, inspiring fan art, memes, and lively discussion about the boundaries of adult animation. Its willingness to mix joy and discomfort helped it stand out, and it influenced indie animators.