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A new year means new beginnings and there are plenty on the horizon for fan-favorite shows that have already been renewed for upcoming seasons. Whether you’re streaming on Netflix or perusing through network hits on ABC, CBS, or NBC, there are plenty of shows to look forward to in the upcoming months and years thanks to these renewals. Among some of the popular titles already renewed this year are Rivals, Interview With the Vampire, Bridgerton, and more. Scroll down to see which of your favorite shows have been renewed as we carry on in 2025. (Note: The list only includes seasons that have yet to begin airing and streaming.) ABC Abbott Elementary, Season 5 American Idol, Season 8 (Season 23 overall) The Bachelor, Season 29 The Conners, Season 7 (final season) High Potential, Season 2 Judge Steve Harvey, Season 3 Acorn TV Harry Wild, Season 4 Adult Swim My Adventures With Superman, Season 3 Smiling Friends, Season 3 AMC Anne Rice...

When you look at Michael Cusack’s work, “order” is not the first word that comes to mind. Both “Yolo,” which premiered its third season on Sunday, and “Smiling Friends” exist in worlds where anything can and does happen. Night clubs open in the beds of oversized interstellar trucks, and outdated video game mascots can become depressed clients. But when it comes to his aggressively random and vulgar worlds, Cusack has a surprisingly strict understanding of what is and is not allowed.

“You do this for as many years as I’ve been making ‘Yolo,’ and they become almost like daughters, in a way. You become very protective over them,” Cusack told TheWrap about Sarah (Sarah Bishop) and Rachel (Todor Manojlovic), the stars of “Yolo: Rainbow Trinity.”

“Yolo” has always been a show about two hard-drinking young women jumping from weird to weirder party. But even that conceit comes with rules.

It’s become increasingly difficult for new Adult Swim series to capture the punk rock aesthetic put the programming block on the map. There are still plenty of smaller, independent series that are hungry to break out and disrupt the system. However, it’s easy for these series to get lost in the endless glut of streaming content that’s become the norm. Yolo: Rainbow Trinity absolutely understands the assignment and delivers the perfect burst of ridiculous storytelling that somehow works in spite of itself.

Yolo: Rainbow Trinity -- the official title for Yolo Season 3 -- is true to itself and trusts its illogical instincts. It’s the latest in a long line of Adult Swim classics that may look crude, but genuinely push boundaries through both experimental storytelling and a sense of humor. Yolo is as sweet as it is surreal, and it’s Adult Swim’s funniest series...

Two best friends journey through absurd and fantastical adventures in the quarter-hour animated comedy Yolo: Rainbow Trinity, premiering Sunday, March 9 at midnight on Adult Swim.

From Michael Cusack, co-creator of Smiling Friends, this follow-up to Yolo: Crystal Fantasy and Yolo: Silver Destiny finds Australia’s famed party duo, Sarah (Sarah Bishop) and Rachel (Todor Manojlovic), encountering more fun and silly characters populating their hometown of Wollongong than ever before.

“Season three of Yolo is peak Michael Cusack,” said Adult Swim president Michael Ouweleen. “It’s super surprising, fast, and funny, with the types of cheery characters only Michael can do.

“Plus, I have to say, a lot of great song smithing from the man himself. If you haven’t yet experienced Yolo, this is the perfect season to dive in.”

The new installment is described as follows: “Here we go again! Another installment of the Yolo franchise (yippee!), arguably in...

Married at First Sight’s newlyweds have a new home: The long-running Lifetime reality series is moving to Peacock, starting with Season 19 (premiering this year).

The show, which has spawned multiple spinoffs, follows “singles looking for a life-long partnership as they embark on a provocative experiment: getting legally married to a stranger the moment they first meet,” per the official description.

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Suzanna Makkos has been tapped as ABC Entertainment and Hulu Originals’ head of comedy.

Makkos, who previously served as HBO Max and Adult Swim’s head of original comedy and animation, will spearhead original comedy series across both ABC and Hulu, the Disney-owned networks announced Thursday. She will report to Simran Sethi, who serves as president of scripted programming across Hulu Originals, ABC Entertainment and Freeform.

In the new role, Makkos will oversee development and current series programming for both platforms, including the platform’s scripted and adult animation programming as well as stand-up specials.

“There are few executives with the breadth and depth of experience that Suzanna brings to the table,” Sethi said in a statement. “She is a skilled creative partner with a tremendous track record of developing successful, brand-defining and culturally impactful comedies across both broadcast and streaming. We are elated to be welcoming her to our creative team.

Exclusive: Suzanna Makkos is leaving her post as head of Original Comedy & Animation at Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max and Adult Swim to join Disney as head of comedy for ABC Entertainment and Hulu Originals.

In her new role, she will oversee comedy development and current series programming across Disney Entertainment Television’s ABC and Hulu, including live-action comedy, adult animation and stand-up specials.

Makkos joins counterpart Jordan Helman, Head of Drama, ABC Entertainment and Hulu Originals, both reporting to Simran Sethi, president, Scripted Programming, Hulu Originals, ABC Entertainment and Freeform.

The dual ABC/Hulu head of drama and comedy roles were created in early October when the ABC and Hulu Originals scripted teams were combined under Sethi.

Makkos had been rumored about going to Disney since August, initially as a potential replacement for Billy Rosenberg, who stepped down as Hulu head of comedy in May.

The speculation intensified after...

If you can’t get enough of Rick and Morty’s adventures on the animated sitcom Rick and Morty, you’ve come to the right place! We’re listing five other animated shows to stream until Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty returns with a new season.

If you love Rick and Morty, here are 9 shows to watchStrange Planet, streaming on Apple TV+ Carol and the End of the World, streaming on NetflixF is for Family, streaming on NetflixBojack Horseman, streaming on Netflix Solar Opposites, streaming on Hulu Disenchantment, streaming on Netflix Futurama, streaming on Hulu Smiling Friends, streaming on Max and HuluAdventure Time, streaming on Hulu

Known for its crazy hijinks and black comedy, Rick and Morty has been an animated fan favorite for over 10 years. Does it gently almost always cross the line? Yes, there’s no denying that several Rick and Morty episodes are controversial. But that...

The following contains spoilers from Invincible Fight Girl Season 1, which debuts Saturday, Nov. 2 at midnight on Adult Swim

Recreational sports are a powerful equalizer and one of the most popular forms of entertainment, yet American animation has struggled to recognize serialized sports series as viable content that can draw in a crowd. On the other hand, Japanese anime championed sports. Theres practically an anime for every recreational activity imaginable, from synchronized diving to ping-pong and even hockey. American animation is behind the curve in this department, but Adult Swims new cartoon, Invincible Fight Girl, is a confident step in the right direction that will hopefully help turn the tide and lead to a wide range of sports-based cartoons.

The series opts for a more grandiose style of sport thats far from grounded, but its celebration of professional wrestling is sure to leave a positive impact on both seasoned sports fans...

An amazing piece of Superman fanart has proven that he loves Smiling Friends, and it makes total sense for his character. Since its premiere in 2022, Smiling Friends has risen in popularity as Adult Swim's next greatest series with its absurdist sense of humor. It's become a show that almost everyone who sees it loves, and a new piece of fanart shows that even one of history's most iconic comic heroes absolutely adores it.

Artist Hooded Mask shared with X a wholesome interaction between Superman and Pim & Charlie from Smiling Friends. The piece is filled with optimism as Pim reaches out to the Man of Steel in total excitement. However, the absolute best part of this whole piece is Superman himself telling the duo that he's "a big fan" of their work, showing that he loves the series.

The smiling friends meet a star man pic.twitter.com/TMzMCHsJQr HoodedMask...

Of all the chaotic and dangerous places that the titular heroes visit during their adventures in Rick and Morty, no fictional dimension can match the unhinged peril of rural Australia.

We’re only one episode into the long-awaited (or long-dreaded) spin-off series Rick and Morty: The Anime, but it’s already clear that too much of the original show was lost in translation for the anime to be a meaningful addition to the franchise. Despite the success of the original Rick and Morty anime shorts, the new series thus far is sadly missing the humor, the nihilism and the mayhem that makes Rick and Morty so unique.

However, as hard a time as Rick and Morty: The Anime is having in translating the winning Rick and Morty formula to Japanese animation, disappointed fans shouldn’t come to the conclusion that Rick and Morty isn’t amenable to an inspired yet faithful adaptation.

Hundreds of members of the Animation Guild, along with fellow IATSE members joining in solidarity, gathered at the IATSE 80 headquarters in Burbank on Saturday ahead of Monday’s start of contract negotiations.

The crowd was over twice that of the Guild’s previous rally in 2022. Animation writer and negotiating committee member Joey Clift told TheWrap that the union had over 2,000 RSVPs as of Friday, doubling the number of the 2022 event. He estimated that nearly 2,500 people attended in the near 90-degree heat.

Mike Rianda, animator known for his work on “Gravity Falls,” emceed the festivities Saturday afternoon. Rianda kicked off the rally by bringing up six “animation avengers” to the stage to rally the crowd, including “Steven Universe” creator Rebecca Sugar, “Hotel Transylvania” and “Samurai Jack” creator Genndy Tartakovsky and legendary Disney and DreamWorks animator James Baxter.

Stand With Animation Rally on Aug. 11, 2024 (Credit: Tess Patton for TheWrap)

Attendees also heard from guild leaders,...

Smiling Friends stands out because of its realistic dialogue, which is unlike other adult animated shows. Smiling Friends' creators, Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack, began as YouTubers, and that background has influenced the genuine conversations in their show. The casual and easy-to-watch nature of Smiling Friends builds a strong connection with the audience.

Smiling Friends is the best adult animated comedy that's currently being released, and one crucial part of it also makes it the most realistic. Smiling Friends follows the misadventures of Charlie, Pim, Allan, Glep, and Mr. Boss, the people who run a charity dedicated to helping people smile. It's a wholesome presence, but it also allows for some truly absurd situations that rival even the best adult animated shows. Smiling Friends is so good that I think it's not only one of the best animated comedies, it may be one of the best TV shows on Max,...

Fox Entertainment has struck a deal with Australian cousin Foxtel Group to co-develop new TV series for the Australian and U.S. markets. News was jointly announced on Monday by Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade and Foxtel Group’s entertainment content executive director and commissioner Alison Hurbert-Burns.

Under the deal, Fox Entertainment and Foxtel Group will identify and develop scripted series to co-commission. Programs would be produced in Australia by Fox Entertainment Studios (Fox Entertainment’s in-house studio) and include both talent and crews from Australia and the U.S. Fox Entertainment’s worldwide content sales unit Fox Entertainment Global will oversee international sales of the shows coming out of the deal.

This reps the first joint deal between Fox Entertainment and Foxtel Group (which is 65% owned by News Corp. and 35% by Telstra).

“Expanding Fox Entertainment’s international footprint through innovative business models is a principal priority for us, particularly...

Created by and starring animators Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel, Smiling Friends is an Adult Swim surreal adult animated comedy. The film follows Charlie (Hadel) and Pim (Cusack), two co-workers at a charity dedicated to making its clients smile by any means necessary. Their adventures are bizarre, hilarious and often completely subvert story expectations, with the show bringing them to life through a creative and chaotic mix of animation and design styles.

Rick and Morty: The Anime premieres on Adult Swim on August 15 with a Japanese version following two days later. Created by director Takashi Sano, the series features a new voice cast and will have 10 episodes available to stream. To celebrate the launch, real-life Rickmobile and Mortymobile will tour America, offering free screenings of the show.

The hotly-anticipated Rick and Morty: The Anime has finally set a release date, and it's right around the corner. Set in an alternate version of the original show's bonkers world, Rick and Morty: The Anime takes the beloved sci-fi duo on a new intergalactic adventure and will premiere on Adult Swim at midnight on August 15. Ahead of the show's release, new information has been revealed about the show, including its official release date, the cast, episode count, and a surprising real-life event that coincides with its premiere.

Rick and Morty: The Anime's English language...

Smiling Friends has quickly become one of the most popular adult animated shows. Created by Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack for Adult Swim, the show is set in a surreal world inhabited by humans and peculiar entities called critters, which come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. It follows a business called Smiling Friends, whose mission is to help clients find happiness, regardless of how many wild and deadly hoops they need to jump through.

Rick and Morty season 8 likely won't be ready to watch until 2025, but there's another adult animated show that's perfect to replace it. Smiling Friends is the perfect show to watch in the meantime, offering varied animation and dark humor. Smiling Friends season 2 aligns with Rick and Morty's style, providing unpredictable humor and emotional depth.

Rick and Morty season 8 is still a long way away, but there's a perfect show to watch in the meantime. Rick and Morty season 8 has been confirmed, but it won't be released until 2025. That long wait between seasons is likely because of the Hollywood strikes of 2023, but it still means one of the best adult animated shows won't have a new season for quite a while. Given how popular and beloved the show is, and the twist ending of Rick and Morty season 7, waiting a whole year to see the new season may seem unbearable.

Rick and Morty...

Adult Swim, the global leader in adult animation, unveiled plans for San Diego Comic-Con which includes an ongoing Pirate-themed fan “parrrty” featuring a series of special evening events, exclusive panels diving into key Adult Swim programs, and the kick-off of a cross-country mobile tour to celebrate “Rick and Morty: The Anime.” “For reasons too long to get into, we at Adult Swim have always used a pirate ship as a metaphor for how we operate,” said Michael Ouweleen, president, Adult Swim. “We thought, since we like to think of us, fans and network, as all one thing, that we should bring the pirate ship to the harbor of San Diego this year and let everyone join us on the – erm – poop deck.” Adult Swim Pirate Parrrty Adult Swim will crash onto the shores of San Diego with a shipwreck adventure on the network’s Adult Swim on the Green space...

Adult Swim is making a big return to San Diego Comic-Con this year, with a huge pirate-themed fan event lasting the whole week that, among other things, features the premiere of “Rick and Morty: The Anime” and “Common Side Effects,” Aew wrestlers and plenty more.

The “Adult Swim Pirate Parrrty” takes place 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. From Thursday, July 25 through Saturday July 27 on the green space at 5th Avenue Landing and Convention Way, right across the street from the convention center. And it’s fully open to the public, no Sdcc badge required.

Attendees will be able to take part in special giveaways, play custom games based on Adult Swim properties, DJ sets as well as special nighttime events:

Aew x Adult Swim “Battle for the Booty” Wrestling Tournament.

Happening Thursday, July 25 at 7:30 p.m., the event features a tag team tournament between Aew wrestlers versus...

Genndy Tartakovsky is famous for creating kids' cartoons such as Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack, but Primal was his first chance at telling a fully uncensored story as he envisioned it. Fans of Primal were treated to an incredible ride as they followed the adventures of a caveman and a dinosaur traversing prehistoric lands.

Primal grew to be even more fantastical and unpredictable than its premise implied, mixing and matching tropes and mythologies from different civilizations and eras. It was unique in its ability to handle both episodic storytelling and overarching narratives competently. The standout episodes of Primal rank among the best-animated episodes in American animation.

The Primal Theory

Season

2

Episode

15

IMDb Rating

8.0/10

Related Smiling Friends & 9 Other Adult Swim Cartoons That Need A Season 2

Adult Swim has created several amazing animated television shows like Smiling Friends that desperately need a second season.

This episode is a massive departure from the rest of the series,...

Created by Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel (also known as psychicpepples), Smiling Friends has become one of Adult Swim's biggest hits in years. The quarter-hour animated series follows the often surreal and dangerous adventures of Pim and Charlie, who work for a small company that aims to make its clients smile. The problem is that their clients are increasingly erratic and, at times, even threatening. The series has only grown in popularity over the course of its two seasons, with its latest batch of episodes having brought in a wide variety of surprising guest stars and new animation styles. Considering the success of the series, you may be wondering if we'll be getting more of Pim and Charlie's misadventures after Season 2. You can find out below whether or not Smiling Friends has been renewed for a third season.

The second season of Adult Swim's widely praised animated TV series Smiling Friends is coming to an end very soon with a new season already being discussed. The series has run for about four years, beginning with a pilot episode on April 1, 2020. Meanwhile, ahead of the Season 2 finale set to air later this month, fans have gotten the first look at what to expect as revealed by Swimpedia on X. The preview shows another Christmas holiday themed outing just like in Season 1 while also establishing an exciting new opening with a very ugly snowman brought to life out of the blue.

Quick Links Smiling Friends Has Been a Success The Icon Status of Rick and Morty A Different Media Landscape for Both Series Smiling Friends is a surreal workplace comedy praised for its unique animation and tone, attracting a dedicated fan base. Despite its success, Smiling Friends may not reach the iconic status of Rick and Morty, facing challenges in linear TV decline. While both series share quality and acclaim, the media landscape has evolved, affecting their potential cultural impact and viewership.

In the last 20+ years, Adult Swim has made a name for itself as one of the premiere destinations for mature content. That success is due in part to the risks they take in their original programming. While all vastly different, Adult Swim shows share the common trait of being absolutely off-the-wall, bonkers, and surreal. It's difficult to imagine them airing on any other network.

One of their newer offerings,...

Adult Swim has renewed the animated series My Adventures With Superman and Smiling Friends, both for their third seasons.

My Adventures With Superman follows twenty-somethings Clark Kent (voiced by Jack Quaid), Lois Lane (Alice Lee) and Jimmy Olsen (Ishmel Sahid) as they discover who they are, together.

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Smiling Friends, meanwhile, centers on the employees of a small company dedicated to...

Smiling Friends has more reasons to smile as the Adult Swim series has been renewed for a third season.

The new run for the absurdist animated show was confirmed Thursday during Adult Swim’s presentation at the Annecy Animation Festival. “These guys are already working on the next season of Smiling Friends,” Adult Swim president Michael Ouweleen told the audience of co-creators Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack, who also took the stage.

In response to a question from a fan, Hadel explained why he doesn’t expect the series to ever have darker or more dramatic episodes, as some comedic programs may have done later in their runs. Smiling Friends launched in 2022 and centers on co-workers Charlie (Hadel) and Pim (Cusack) trying to bring positivity into the lives of their company’s customers.

“A lot of comedy shows, like you say, tend to get serious,” Hadel replied to the attendee.

Annecy, France — Five-time Emmy Award winner Genndy Tartakovsky, creator of “Samurai Jack” and “Primal,” is developing “Heist Safari,” a 10-episode comedic robbery that will have the feel of a musical, Tartakovsky said.

The robbers are three brother frogs, control freak James, neurotic Issac, and little George, who thinks he’s brilliant but is actually totally not. Estranged, they meet up at their father’s funeral, where they are informed that they will only inherit his fortune if they pull off a bank heist, stealing the contents of a bank’s vault numbered 88.

Trouble comes when all three cut side deals for help in the form of a Japanese yakuza tiger, a Russian mafia hippo and an Italian gorilla mobster. The police are wildebeests.

Every episode is executed as just one shot and they will not be told in chronological order. The whole has an Edm score, said Tartakovsky.

“This whole...

During its Annecy panel this afternoon, Adult Swim is unveiling full series greenlights for a pair of new shows as well as a season three order for its popular surreal workplace comedy “Smiling Friends.”

Created by Emmy-winning writer and executive producer Adele “Supreme” Williams (“My Dad the Bounty Hunter”), “Oh My God, Yes! A Series of Extremely Relatable Circumstances” is inspired by her book of a similar name, which got a pilot episode that first aired during Adult Swim’s pilot block in 2023. It’s also available to stream on the Adult Swim website.

“Oh My God, Yes! A Series of Extremely Relatable Circumstances”

The quarter-hour, 30th-century-set comedy follows three best friends in Los Angeles who collectively navigate the worlds of sex, dating, and womanhood in the year 2102. It’s executive produced by Dominique Braud and produced for Adult Swim by Six Point Harness.

The second new show in production is “Ha Ha You Clowns,...

As footage from DreamWorks Animation’s fall feature The Wild Robot screened at the Annecy Animation Festival in France this week, big laughs — and later, audible sniffling — could be heard throughout the packed auditorium. With a passionate standing ovation immediately breaking out after the final scene, the audience reaction was a vote of confidence for the project that features the voice talents of Lupita Nyong’o and Pedro Pascal and hails from director Chris Sanders.

Two days from now, Pixar’s Inside Out 2 — the sequel to the $850 million-grossing 2015 film — screens at Annecy on the same day it hit theaters nationwide. Box office tracking see it poised for a solid box office bow potentially north of $80 million, with The Hollywood Reporter’s review calling the film “a home run.”

It’s all part of a week bringing some much-needed rays of hope to the world of animation, a space that has been battered by layoffs,...

Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim segment has a long, proud tradition of imaginative April Fool’s Day shenanigans. This year, with fans anticipating the second season of Smiling Friends, the network surprise-dropped the season premiere after airing three episodes of the first season that had been entirely remade. Each first-season remix episode used the original audio and drawn backgrounds, but with Adult Swim executive Jacob Escobedo’s team reenacting the plots with puppet versions of the characters.

That’s already an extraordinary amount of work to put in just for a gag, but they went one step further by making different puppets for each episode — one uses Muppet-style fabrications, the next simpler sock puppets interacting with live-action performers, and the third detailed papier-mâché puppets.

Following Season 2, Episode 2 of Smiling Friends, fans got a frustrating update on when they can expect new episodes for the season to drop.

The show, another perfectly zany animated project from Adult Swim, follows a group of four people who run a company whose sole purpose is to bring happiness to its customers.

For the first season, besides the first episode, the entire season dropped all at once on January 10, 2022, for fans to binge. However, it's now confirmed that the release schedule will be different this time around for Season 2.

Read full article on The Direct.

From cancelled celebrity frogs to heartbroken shrimp, the vast “Smiling Friends” universe is home to a lot of strange side characters. But co-creators Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel took things to another level for the Season 2 premiere of their Adult Swim series. The episode, which sports the concise title “Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition Dx 4K (Anniversary Director’s Cut),” follows the eponymous Smiling Friends as they attempt to cheer up Gwimbly, a beloved ’90s video game character who is unable to star in new games because the evil corporation known as Insane Groundbreaking Games refuses to grant him access to his own I.P.

The episode, which was previewed for fans last month after the network’s puppet-filled April Fool’s prank, is a classic “Smiling Friends” adventure that sees the gang rescue Gwimbly from his sad life of making undignified Cameo videos and help him produce his own independent game.

One of Adult Swim's best shows is finally returning to television with Smiling Friends Season 2. Since first airing in 2022, Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel's adult animated series has become Adult Swim's most successful show since Rick and Morty. The story of Pim (Michael Cusack) and Charlie's (Zach Hadel) endless quest to bring smiles to those in their community is surreal in all the best ways, with some vibrant animation and hysterical writing to back it up.

“There’s one important thing to know about ‘Smiling Friends,’” the show’s co-creator Zach Hadel said during a recent Zoom interview with IndieWire. “It’s not smart.”

It was a reoccurring sentiment. Over the course of our conversation, Hadel and co-creator Michael Cusack repeatedly called their show “dumb,” “stupid,” “not smart,” and, in one colorful tangent, suggested that society would be better off if they were barred from producing television and sent to work in underground mines. But their humility masks a deep commitment to silliness that might be the secret to making “Smiling Friends” feel so damn refreshing.

The animated series, which follows an eclectic group of nonprofit employees who are tasked with making sad people smile (and are legally obligated to do anything a sad customer asks until they smile), was a massive hit in alternative comedy circles when it premiered on Adult Swim in 2022. The show...

Pim (Michael Cusack), Charlie (Zach Hadel), and the rest of their not-always-so-happy companions are back for a second season of Adult Swim's smash-hit series, Smiling Friends. Created by and starring long-time YouTube animators and comedians Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel and beginning as a humble yet hysterical short film, Smiling Friends has easily become the adult animation network's most successful show since Rick and Morty. The premise of the series is quite simple, centering on two friends who have made it their job to make people smile.

Lego and Star Wars fans rejoice, because Darth Jar Jar is finally here! The new animated series, Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, will see good guys turned bad, bad guys turned good, and some long-standing fan theories turned turn into reality.

Just a few days after fans the world over celebrated Star Wars Day on May 4th (May the fourth be with you!), the first teaser for Lego: Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy was released on YouTube. The official description of the show reads as follows: "In Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, the entire Star Wars Galaxy gets completely mixed up when an ordinary nerf-herder, Sig Greebling (Gaten Matarazzo), unearths a powerful artifact from a hidden Jedi temple. He finds himself thrust into adventure in a new, wondrously wild and twisted version of the galaxy where good guys are bad, bad guys are good, and the fate of...

With its list of new releases for May 2024, HBO streamer Max is bringing back one of the best comedies on television.

Hacks season 3 premieres on May 2 and will continue the tortured (platonic-ish) love affair between comedy superstar Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and her former joke writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder). That will be followed up by Pretty Little Liars: Summer School on May 9.

Movie-lovers have more than enough to keep them occupied in May 2024 as well. The latest John Green adaptation, Turtles All the Way Down, will premiere on May 3. That will be followed by intriguing original documentary MoviePass, MovieCrash on May 30. Max is also putting its Warner Bros. origins to good use with a bunch of excellent library movies like The Iron Claw on May 10 and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice on May 26.

Here’s everything coming to HBO and Max in May.

New on HBO and Max...

Season 2 of Smiling Friends premiered on April Fools' Day, but the rest of the season will continue to air next month.

Created by Zach "psychicpebbles" Hadel and Michael Cusack, Smiling Friends is an adult animated series about a company dedicated to making people smile, led by Charlie, Pim, Allan, Glep, and their employer, Mr. Boss.

After its first season aired to critical and audience acclaim in 2022, Smiling Friends was quickly renewed for a second season by Adult Swim.

Read full article on The Direct.

It's finally time to smile once again with some help from Pim, Charlie, Alan, Glep, and Mr. Boss. Adult Swim hit a home run in 2022 with the release of Smiling Friends, the long-awaited adult animated black comedy series from Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack following both the mundane lives and wild misadventures of the employees of the titular company as they try to help people with their troubles. Over two years after Season 1's premiere, a new trailer has been released for Season 2 putting the employees and their eccentric superior back in business, and it looks to be just as chaotic as ever.

Any alternative comedy fan knows that Adult Swim’s April Fool’s Day programming is must-see television. The unabashedly weird late night network has turned messing with viewers into an annual tradition, often dropping buzzy new premieres in unexpected ways (like airing the entire “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” movie in a deliberately unwatchable picture-in-picture format) or replacing its existing programming with nonsensical content (like a 2021 stunt in which it satirically rebranded itself as a pre-school channel known as Adult Swim Jr.). Fans have come to expect a lot of Adult Swim on the internet’s least favorite holiday, and 2024 saw the network deliver one of its most viral triumphs to date.

One of the most anticipated shows on Adult Swim’s upcoming slate is Season 2 of “Smiling Friends,” Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack’s animated series about two mid-level employees at a company that promises to cheer up any sad...

Adult Swim's Smiling Friends is back for Season 2, and fans are wondering when Episode 2 will be released along with the remaining schedule for the sophomore effort. 

Created by YouTube creator Zach Handel and animator Michael Cusack, Smiling Friends brings its off-putting, sometimes creepy sense of humor to Adult Swim and Max, following a business with the mission to bring happiness to people by any means necessary. 

Season 1 premiered back in 2022 before making its way to Max (HBO Max at the time) later in the run. Season 2 made its surprising debut on April Fool's Day 2024, a little more than two years after its official announcement. 

Read full article on The Direct.

Smiling Friends, the animated comedy co-created by and starring Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel, will return for a second season on Sunday, May 12, at midnight on Adult Swim.

The series follows the employees of a small company dedicated to bringing happiness to a bizarre yet colorful world.

Adult Swim continued its annual April Fools’ Day tradition this morning at midnight with the unexpected debut of three episodes of Smiling Friends re-created in various styles of puppetry.

This was followed by a surprise airing of the season two premiere episode, “Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition Dx 4k (Anniversary Director’s Cut).”

Smiling Friends fans who missed out on the block can still enjoy the puppet-style season one episodes on YouTube.

In season two, Pim, Charlie, Zongo, Allan, and Glep continue their mission to bring happiness to the world, whether it’s a washed-up retro video game character, a troubled marriage,...

Adult Swim has offered a first look at Smiling Friends Season 2 along with a release date announcement.

Adult Swim pulled off an April Fools' Day prank this year by re-rendering three episodes of Season 1 of Smiling Friends entirely in puppetry. But the surprise didn't end there; following the puppetry twist, they caught viewers off guard with the unexpected debut of the Season 2 premiere at midnight. To top it off, fans were treated to a delightful announcement: "Season Two of Smiling Friends returns May 12 on Max. Because the only thing better than more Smiling Friends is more Smiling Friends."

Don’t gulp - Season 2 premieres May 12th at Midnight - next day on Max #smilingfriends #adultswim pic.twitter.com/jrQPiI1NKS — adult swim (@adultswim) April 1, 2024 Same friends, new form. Smile! #smilingfriends #adultswim #aprilfools pic.twitter.com/MSB3OqS1T0 — adult swim (@adultswim) April 1, 2024 The greatest love story ever told . . . with puppets.

Smiling Friends returns May 12 at midnight on Adult Swim, airing new episodes to bring joy to the world. Co-created by Cusack and Hadel, the show features quirky characters and laughs for a good time. Catch the season two premiere, then stream new episodes on Max or purchase digitally starting May 13.

After more than two year since it was announced, Smiling Friends will return for a second season on Sunday, May 12 at midnight on Adult Swim. As part of Adult Swim's annual April Fools' Day programming, which always includes some fun surprises, three episodes of the show aired re-creating Smiling Friends in various styles of puppetry, followed by a surprise airing of the season two premiere episode, “Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition Dx 4k (Anniversary Director’s Cut).”

The synopsis for the second season reads as follows:

In season two of Smiling Friends, Pim, Charlie, Zongo, Allan and Glep continue...

Since the introduction of adult animated projects, there have been countless iconic series to hit the mainstream. From The Simpsons to Family Guy, the concept of a cartoon featuring adult themes and motifs has truly skyrocketed to popularity. While some of the longtime running series are still going strong today, the 2020s have seen a bunch of new series taking off and finding niches.

From blatantly adult series like Hazbin Hotel to series that just dare to be a little bit darker than cartoons aimed at younger audiences like Fionna & Cake, adult animation is alive and well. Even still, some series seem too caught up in being edgy and being as adult as possible to the point where they lack any substance. Sorting through adult animated series can be a difficult task these days, but there are a select few that shine brightest and offer stories and characters worthy of anyone's attention.

Smiling Friends Season 2 received an official release update amid high anticipation for its return on Adult Swim. 

Created by Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack, Smiling Friends explores the story of a company that dedicated its time to spreading happiness, mostly focused on two lead characters named Pim and Charlie.

The show's pilot episode made its debut as part of Adult Swim's annual April Fools' Day event on April 1, 2020. 

Read full article on The Direct.

Froy Gutierrez as “Ryan” and Madelaine Petsch as “Maya” in ‘The Strangers’ Trilogy, a Lionsgate release (Photo Credit: John Armour for Lionsgate)

The 2023 New York Comic Con may be moving forward without any big-name actors, but it’s still got plenty of television panels (and a scattering of film panels) planned over the course of the four-day event. Nycc kicks off on October 12th at Javits Center, with the first day’s lineup confirmed to include a preview of The Strangers Trilogy, creatives from Futurama, details on For All Mankind season four, and the season one finale of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.

Nycc continues on Friday, October 13th with Apple TV+’s upcoming epic dive into Legendary’s Monsterverse – Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Friday panels also include Archer, Evil, Goosebumps, Chucky, and a spotlight on horrormeister John Carpenter.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Krapopolis, Ghosts of Ruin, and Matthew Vaughn host panels on Saturday,...

With both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA on strike, San Diego Comic-Con will obviously look pretty different this year. But one thing remains ever present: fan activations. Worry not, because those are as plentiful as ever.

With each activation, fans will be able to effectively enter the fictional worlds they’ve come to love on TV, from animated shows, to period pieces, to thrillers. It can be hard to keep track of them all though, so we went ahead and rounded them up for you.

Check out the free activations available below.

The Lodge: Paramount+ Experience

Wednesday-Sunday at Happy Does Bar (340 Fifth Ave. in the Gaslamp Quarter)

Paramount+

The Lodge returns to Sdcc this year, taking fans into the worlds of eight Paramount+ shows.

According to the streamer, The Lodge will drop fans into “an ultimate ‘mountain lodge’ experience,” that spans “through a variety of photo moments and themed decor inspired...

Smiling Friends, one of the strangest new shows on television, has been renewed for a second season at Adult Swim. Known for its obscure and often goofy cartoons aimed at adults, Adult Swim has no shortage of animated series just like Smiling Friends for audiences to choose from.

Related: 10 Worst Cartoon Network Shows Of All Time

Although Smiling Friends has managed to procure a second season, not every series on Adult Swim has managed to do so. As such, many adult cartoons from Adult Swim deserve to get another shot after promising first seasons.

Smiling Friends

Smiling Friends began its run on Adult Swim in 2022, telling the story of two painfully different friends: Charlie, an overly gloomy pessimist, and Pim, an undeterrable optimist. Together, Pim and Charlie run Smiling Friends, a company meant to help others overcome their negative emotions and become happier.

Although Smiling Friends may be one of...

HBO Max's hit streaming service is going through a pretty major restructuring with the all-new Max rebranding, but that doesn't mean that the many exclusive projects that HBO Max was working on aren't still in development. That's especially true for the world of adult animation, with the cult-favorite series Clone High set to get a long-awaited revival later this Spring. The service is also still currently an essential streaming platform for fans of the genre, with other adult-oriented animated classics like Rick & Morty and Smiling Friends making their home on the streamer. Come later this week, the service-soon-to-be-known as Max will receive yet another entry in its vast library of raunchy cartoons. Based on the 2016 short film of the same name from writer/directors Nate Sherman and Nick Vokey, Fired on Mars (2023) is an animated satire that sees an aspirational young man searching for a life-changing career. He...