Posted in: Adult Swim, Conventions, Events, Pop Culture, Preview, san diego comic con, TV, YouTube | Tagged: Adult Swim, sdcc, SDCC 2024, smiling friends
Smiling Friends Spotlights Some Season 1 Fails; SDCC 2024 Plans
Along with a look at the SDCC 2024 plans for Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel's Smiling Friends, we have a look back at some Season 1 fails.
As we patiently await news of any kind on the third season of Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel's Smiling Friends, let's not forget that the dynamic duo will be taking part in the "Adult Swim Pirate Parrrty" set for San Diego Comic-Con 2024 (SDCC 2024) later this month. For those attending the four-day pop culture extravaganza, "Fun with Zach and Michael" (Saturday, July 27, at 7:30 pm PT) will spotlight Cusack and Hadel as they take part in a special live-draw event and turn themselves over to the fans for a Q&A. To help set the mood for the next two weeks, we have a special compilation video to pass along that offers us a reminder that the path to getting someone to smile isn't always an easy one – there are some misses along the way. Like the ones that you're about to see from the first season…
Here's a look at the gang's less-than-stellar moments from the hit animated series, followed by a look back at some thoughts that Cusack and Hadel had to share during last month's 2024 Annecy International Animation Festival:
Smiling Friends Creators Want Series to Have "Always Sunny" Vibes
During Adult Swim's presentation at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Festival, Hadel addressed whether viewers should expect the series to take on darker and/or more serious themes during future seasons – similar to what we've seen from other animated series that have those "special" episodes. "A lot of comedy shows, like you say, tend to get serious," Hadel shared in response to a question from an attendee. "I don't think Charlie and Pim could cry, and anybody would care. It would just be annoying. So it would probably end before it gets to that point." Hadel continued, "This show is hopefully kind of an escape. We always think about when we worked minimum-wage jobs; we would get home and just want to watch YouTube cartoons and South Park and [It's] Always Sunny [in Philadelphia]. There's something nice about being a little comedy thing, and that's it."
And there it is! Are we surprised? No – but being a diehard fan of FXX's Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson & Danny DeVito-starring It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, I know that we don't always tend to go public a lot with our love for the greatest sitcom to ever grace a television screen. So when one of us does, it's nice to see – and when it's two talented folks like Cusack and Hadel, even more so.
"Something like 'South Park,' when I saw that episode when Stan gets depressed, I loved that because Trey [Parker] and Matt [Stone] are so great at that when they get serious. I just think we like keeping a continuous tone with 'Smiling Friends,' where you can tune in in any season. You don't really know where you are," Cusack added. And for those of you wondering when the season-long serialized storylines are going to kick in, Hadel makes it clear that fans shouldn't be holding their collective breath for them anytime soon. "I don't think we'll ever do serialization. It's supposed to just be popcorn. It's McDonald's of TV,' Hadel explained.
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