Smiling Friends

Stumbled onto this little show by accident, ended up laughing my ass off throughout the pilot episode. And then when I recognized Mike Stoklasa's voice, that really sold it for me. (He's really great in this, please make Desmond a recurring character!)

The whole pilot oozes creativity and raw comedic talent, it reminded me of the first episodes of South Park. If they keep this up then I think they've really got something here, I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this!

When i first saw the poster of that show, immediately in my head was like: great another adult swim sh💩y show incoming.

But then after watching the whole 1st episode i actually wanted to see another. And after watching the entire season i rewatched it.

The show has unique artstyle, characters, and story. The jokes are surprisingly good. They are not trying hard to throw every possible edgy joke they can think in our faces. Some character desgins look ridiculous and bizzare and they were funny and i wasnt disgusted by it, for example mr. Frog who looks like it was drawned by pre-schooler but at same time looks good and its original which i can say for the artstyle of this show.

I hope this show gets season 2. :)

Following the production of the "Hellbenders" pilot and the brief history of Sleepy Cabin, its great to finally see some of the best internet funny bois get their vision on TV. It fully retains the spontaneity of Zach and Michael's unique internet animation styles and wastes no time at all with the jokes. The structure of the 12-min short is split into 2 plots which are equally fascinating and bizarre but not in the way a lot of "edgy" or subversive adult animated shows tend to be. The looseness of the drawing style helps the craziness never seem like its on rails, it truly feels like you're in the mind of 2 nutbag internet artists and I love it.

Mike Stoklasa's performance will be one for the history books.

Smiling Friends is a testament to the creative landscape of what personal content creation can lead to and how it focuses on artist to consumer interactions that allow the creators of animation or anything of the sort to be more grounded and appreciative of the craft and their impact on it. The animation is not too large a departure from other familiar styles. The characters and personalities are by far the most driving factors of the show itself. The dry and absurdist humor as well as the range of which the show can strike your funny-bone is incredibly enjoyable. Coming from the platforms of Newgrounds and Youtube has allowed for some truly interesting and hilarious comedy from the likes of Zach Hadel and his constituents. I have no doubt in my mind that there is more to come from the minds behind Smiling Friends and I am left eagerly awaiting.

All I have to say is that Adult Swim needs to continue this. It was a shame that Hellbenders was never picked up, but now I see this as a great opportunity to make up for it. Both Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack are masterful animators and comedians. They both have a gift to implement moments in their craft that are eternally quotable. Denying this show a series would be a disservice to the world. I know that sounds weird, considering the absurdity of the content, but I honestly see this as a beacon of hope in these dark times.The creators deserve so much recognition and support.