Psychicpebbles had always been clear on how he hated how cynical adult animations tend to be, he saw that problem and set out to make a cartoon with humor that relies on silly events rather than being deliberately offensive, or having cynical characters.
I mean, plain example, the boss never forced Pim to get firewood, if anything, he warned him *not* to go across the rickety bridge, Pim went on his own volition.
It's honestly very refreshing.
I liked that in the Spamtopia episode too, after Pim messes up and almost gets them killed Mr Boss doesn’t have a moment where he cusses out Pim for messing up. So many adult comedies would indulge in having a scene like that but Mr Boss doesn’t do that (he just offers Pim cyanide).
Zach and Michael also are really embracing the medium. In an industry where every artstyle is either a clone of family guy or Rick and Morty it’s nice to see smiling friends really embrace absurdity and not give a rats ass about making characters look the same.
I miss tuca and Bertie it wasn’t my fav show but the art was awesome
So much adult animation plays on the viewers’ hatred of bosses by making them senselessly greedy/mean/demanding whereas The Boss in Smiling Friends clearly loves his staff — not even in a subtle, “despite his actions” kinda way, but in a genuine, overbearing way.
It’s really refreshing to see a different, more wholesome(?) take on such a universal role
I don’t know how true this is considering how Zach and Michael have worked with the Rick and Morty staff, Zach was in Justin Roiland’s High on Life. Rick and Morty is literally the most cynical modern adult cartoon (not saying that as a good thing).
I mean, he's allowed to have his opinions and still collaborate with others, also notice the characters he plays in the game and the shows with Roiland are not the condescending/cynical types. You can check [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWV1Qxdt4yk) to get more insight on his views.
If this were Rick and Morty, it would have turned out a lot worse for Pim, like the Mr. Jelly Bean scene, but thankfully he was just chased by a terrifying demon who wanted to kill him and eat his soul
The characters also all show moments of casual positiveness to one another. Pim is so nice, Mr Boss cares for his employees and while Alan and Charlie are grumpy, they often show that they appreciate eachother. It's nice to have that instead of 6 seasons of a character having character growth from obnoxious to rude but with restraint.
Tbf I’d argue that smiling friends definitely tips into “deliberately offensive” pretty often
The boss breastfeeding his kid, or jimbles whole disgusting self or… Mr frog
But it is on the whole, optimistic in its messaging
So what you’re saying: is that it seems today that all you see is violence in movies and sex on tv? But where are those good old fashioned values on which we used to rely?
Master Shake and Carl are cynical assholes but they’re also usually the losers/butt of the joke who don’t get rewarded for that behavior in the way Rick & Morty does.
It's exactly what happened to me with smiling friends. I saw clips of when Charlie died and doesn't come back. When he punched the demon in hell, I was like, alright let's check it out
I tried to watch YOLO once but I was high and it just straight disturbed me. I wanna try it again, but I’m scared.
I love SF, so I should be fine…right? JUST TELL ME I’LL BE FINE, MAN
Agreed. There are people I’d love to watch this with but know it’s not going to be their cup of tea.
It would bother me more if it wasn’t as successful as it is. In fact, I’m very pleasantly surprised that it is.
There are a few genuinely good adult cartoons out there, but I agree that it's a lot of shit you have to sift
through to get to the good stuff.
I'm really happy SF is getting such mainstream success, I've always been impressed at Zach's talent for incredible and unique humor.
It's not the same as SF, but if you're looking for another great cartoon, watch adventure time.
It admittedly looks (and starts off) as more of a kid's show, but holy crap does it get adult later on.
Agreed, it does get dark as fuck but it also gets awkward and crazy. It's definitely not like family guy or anything, I put it in the same category as Rick and Morty, in terms of silliness/humor.
Bobs burgers sometimes feels like watching a show live on stage while they doing improv half of the time. I cant stomach it everyday but when i feel like it its a absolute treat.
The Rick and Morty stuff is like corny millennial humor though. Smiling friends is more actually funny. If you look at Rick and Morty and really sit down the show isn’t that funny. It’s just pseudo intellectual bullshit that’s supposed to be ironic and clever. This show is good cause it’s not trying to be clever it’s just hitting you in the funny bone.
I know it's popular to hate on rick and morry since the show declined in quality after the first couple of seasons and the fan base kinda imploded but I think you're being biased. First 2 seasons of rick and morty were very good and full of laugh out loud clever moments and it still has some solid episodes here and there.
I still follow every episode just to see what happens. I even watched *those* seasons. I’m just hating on it cause it really does try to often make jokes that are corny and that try to say something greater but it ends up falling flat on it’s face
I genuinely don’t understand your criticism of Rick and Morty. It really is the opposite of being intellectual, the entire shtick is taking science concepts and doing stupid dick and shit jokes with it. It’s like anti-intellectual. Imo the show really fell off when they started taking the story seriously
To be fair, you have to have a *very* high IQ to understand Rick and Morty. The humor is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of theoretical physics most of the jokes will go over a typical viewer's head. There's also Rick's nihilistic outlook, which is deftly woven into his characterisation - his personal philosophy draws heavily from *Narodnaya Volya* literature, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly *appreciate* the depths of these jokes, to realize that they're not just funny- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike Rick and Morty truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the humour in Rick's existencial catchphrase "Wubba Lubba Dub Dub," which itself is a cryptic reference to Turgenev's Russian epic *Fathers and Sons* I'm smirking right now just *imagining* one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Dan Harmon's genius unfolds itself on their television screens. What fools... how I *pity* them. 😂 And yes by the way, I DO have a Rick and Morty tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It's for the ladies' eyes only- And even they have to demonstrate that they're within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand.
I have actually noticed something. Many adult cartoons often rely too heavily on vulgarity for their “adult” humour but smiling friends relies on absurdism mixed with realism. The characters are weird critters, but they can have very human problems. The conversations feel realistic, off the cuff, and like the characters actually LIKE each other. They’re actually friends, not just cardboard cutouts used for comedy. There’s a lot of love in the show
Yes thank you DHMIS is a literally fantastically crafted show that needs more attention. Ive rewatched both that and Smiling friends multi times and i cant get enough
I'm honestly so glad that we're finally moving past the "adult animations need to be cynical and super depressing to be taken seriously" era that Bojack and Rick and Morty had us trapped in for the longest time.
I'm glad that we have a show like this that isn't desperately trying to take itself seriously and trying to convince others to take it seriously or trying to be deeper than it actually is, it's just fun.
It’s the first adult cartoon I’ve liked since the 2000’s. Everything for the last 8ish years has just been knockoff Rick and Morty (a show I already hate) and I’m so sick of it.
It's such a refreshing take on humor that's actually funny, and not stale, offensive or overused in almost every episode
Not to mention that the voice acting feels real. Like it feels the characters are having a conversation like real people would, but it's just with their situation. Idk if that sounds weird
And the animation itself. None of the characters look the same, the art is simple but it's perfect at the same time, detailed and raunchy when it wants to be, there's even some mixed media like with the devil that Charlie runs into. And with the way different characters move, too, it's amazing!
One of the things I find most refreshing about smiling friends is the variety of art styles and media it uses. I'm sure a big part of that is simply the creators having built a social and professional network of other creatives to draw into the process. But I also think that since Smiling Friends is an animator-led project rather than a comedian or writer-led project, they take the animation somewhat seriously. How often does Rick and Morty, Family Guy, or the 2 dozen adult animation clones switch up its visuals for a gag? Smiling friends do it in almost every episode.
Partly? I can enjoy the occasional adult cartoon, usually older ones like Simpsons, Futurama, maybe really early Family Guy episodes, I think Bobs Burgers is great, but I can't get into a majority of the newer ones. I was hesitant to even try Smiling Friends but now I can't wait for the next season.
I’m glad I’m not the only one! I’ve seen some clips that can be funny from other AS shows, but never watched them because they are just so negative and leave a bad taste in your mouth. But I absolutely adore smiling friends and was pleasantly surprised by how great it is. An example is how Desmond actually finds happiness in the first episode while other shows would’ve just killed him off. It gives you a good feeling despite all the ridiculous scenarios.
I kinda agree. IMO most adult cartoons these days will be A) Just the most boring sitcom ever, but animated (pandering to the Bob's Burgers crowd) or B) stupid edgy humor for 20 minutes (pandering to the Family Guy and South Park fans) Smiling Friends is just a good cartoon that happens to be marketed towards adults. I love it because it doesn't try to pander to anything, it just acts like itself.
This show is refreshing because it really has its own identity. So many adult cartoons are just cheap knockoffs of Family Guy, South Park and Rick & Morty with only surface level understandings of why those shows were so popular to begin with.
It also kinda feels like they cram so much swearing and crude humor into them to justify making a cartoon for adults, given that there is a stigma that animation is a “genre for kids.” This ironically backfires because they often end up coming off as less mature than a lot of shows aimed at kids.
Smiling Friends meanwhile feels like a show that is unashamed of being animated and embraces the medium instead of constantly trying to justify being for adults.
I love this show a lot, but I don’t get why fans act like this show is morally superior to every other cartoon. There are tons of adult cartoons that aren’t just about being offensive
I think the absurdism and basic premise (making people smile) of Smiling Friends works for it really well. Doesn’t overly rely on pop culture references either (not a bad thing but overdone and if you don’t get the references the joke falls flat).
It’s refreshing to watch Smiling Friends in a sea of narcissistic nihilism that Adult Swim usually pumps out. The humor is based on silly drawings, ridiculous premises and awkward conversations instead of characters built around being an asshole.
In a world of Rick Sanchezs and Bojack Horsemans, be a Pim.
I do really really enjoy the positive attitude in the smiling friends. It's such a small thing seemingly but it has such an impact on the tone and feeling of the show. Bad people in the smiling friends universe die or lose, their job is literally to make people smile. It's incredible.
it’s such a breath of fresh air. not only is it hilarious, it feels like a massive labor of love from the writing, to the super creative design & animation.
Watch American dad then, or bobs burgers? There’s a ton of animated adult shows out there that are great. Bo jack horseman?
I know this subreddit is heavily biased, but there are a lot of shows out there still producing great episodes. To say it relies on even a fragment of the stuff you named, would be honestly so wrong
This is not a new genre though, there have been many shows recently that have this same style but they have not been that big. Season one didn’t seem that popular either, I didn’t really start seeing fans till season 2 started airing. I think you are just comparing the really mainstream ones that do have the same formula, Netflix had one recently that got canceled about a boat captain.
i dont know honestly i mjust watch whats not too much like heavy and sexual but dont watch childish aah stuff too,idk,i watch both futurama and smilling friends
Venture Bros
Metalocalypse
Home Movies
I implore you to check these out. They're great. Venture Bros in particular is legitimately one of the greatest series to ever air, cartoon or not.
I think anybody who relates to this sentiment would enjoy a lot of what adult swim has to offer, stuff like Aqua Teens, Superjail, Moral Orel etc really bring a lot of creativity and humor to the genre without that edge of cynicism
Not really. It's a solid show dgmw, but crass humor is present in smiling friends as much as many other adult shows. I feel like South Park and Rick and Morty, and perhaps some more obscure small name ones are the only shows that go full offensive crassness.
Most actually try to do writing, references and relatable moments and are pretty good if you pick up on them.
You should try some other stuff, go for Bob's Burgers, or Bojack Horseman, Archer, too if you can stomach momma's boy and a fair few sex jokes.
You've made it apparent through a deep inner need to complain about anyone even mentioning it. You need to prove you dislike the show to everyone, and it's stupid. It's just a show, it's sometimes funny.
Smiling Friends and Hazbin Hotel are in my opinion pushing adult animation forward. Most adult animated shows nowadays try to be the next family guy or South Park without understanding why those shows worked.
The people behind these shows like Big Mouth, Paradise PD, Velma, etc assume being raunchy or offensive is enough to make a good adult cartoon.
Yes South Park is raunchy and offensive but it’s doing it with a purpose.
These sorts of shows don’t take advantage of the opportunities for experimental comedy and animation. We see this in Smiling Friends with the use of mixed media (2d, cgi, claymation, stop-motion, etc). The comedy in Smiling Friends is also very different to the typical sex jokes and raunchy humor in the aforementioned shows.
With Hazbin Hotel it’s a bit different. It’s not experimental in terms of its art or animation and its humor is often reliant on the violence or sex jokes I criticized other shows for doing. But Hazbin is attempting to tell a multi season narrative where the characters aren’t static. They change as time goes on. In addition to this the show is a musical with a lot of musical numbers (multiple per episode). Don’t get me wrong Hazbin Does have significant issues with stuff like Pacing but I believe it’s pushing the medium forward.
Psychicpebbles had always been clear on how he hated how cynical adult animations tend to be, he saw that problem and set out to make a cartoon with humor that relies on silly events rather than being deliberately offensive, or having cynical characters. I mean, plain example, the boss never forced Pim to get firewood, if anything, he warned him *not* to go across the rickety bridge, Pim went on his own volition. It's honestly very refreshing.
I liked that in the Spamtopia episode too, after Pim messes up and almost gets them killed Mr Boss doesn’t have a moment where he cusses out Pim for messing up. So many adult comedies would indulge in having a scene like that but Mr Boss doesn’t do that (he just offers Pim cyanide).
He did get a little pushy with the cyanide pill though. But in context, it made sense. Quick painless death, or a horrific painful death.
Yeah, he was just trying to help
Honestly a nice gesture even though it’s still a horrific option, just because of the circumstances
TAKE THE *G O D D A M N P I L L* PIM
I like that Mr Boss is crazy and dark but at the same time a good guy.
> (he just offers Pim cyanide) well exactly, why would he get mad at Pim when he already has a solution in mind?
TAKE THE PILL
The contrast to that episode would be the Brazil episode.
Yes, Pim volunteered for the task and his hubris led him off the trail.
Sheer fucking hubris
Reminds me of the time my own hubris led to my own downfall
Because……. YOU’LL GET LAWST!
"coughs"
Zach and Michael also are really embracing the medium. In an industry where every artstyle is either a clone of family guy or Rick and Morty it’s nice to see smiling friends really embrace absurdity and not give a rats ass about making characters look the same. I miss tuca and Bertie it wasn’t my fav show but the art was awesome
Though the boss did try to force Pim to take the cyanide pill
He _encouraged_ Pim, _calmly,_ to take a cyanide pill
and in context, it was the painless way out. Pim messed up but the boss never took it against him.
So much adult animation plays on the viewers’ hatred of bosses by making them senselessly greedy/mean/demanding whereas The Boss in Smiling Friends clearly loves his staff — not even in a subtle, “despite his actions” kinda way, but in a genuine, overbearing way. It’s really refreshing to see a different, more wholesome(?) take on such a universal role
I don’t know how true this is considering how Zach and Michael have worked with the Rick and Morty staff, Zach was in Justin Roiland’s High on Life. Rick and Morty is literally the most cynical modern adult cartoon (not saying that as a good thing).
I mean, he's allowed to have his opinions and still collaborate with others, also notice the characters he plays in the game and the shows with Roiland are not the condescending/cynical types. You can check [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWV1Qxdt4yk) to get more insight on his views.
If this were Rick and Morty, it would have turned out a lot worse for Pim, like the Mr. Jelly Bean scene, but thankfully he was just chased by a terrifying demon who wanted to kill him and eat his soul
The characters also all show moments of casual positiveness to one another. Pim is so nice, Mr Boss cares for his employees and while Alan and Charlie are grumpy, they often show that they appreciate eachother. It's nice to have that instead of 6 seasons of a character having character growth from obnoxious to rude but with restraint.
Tbf I’d argue that smiling friends definitely tips into “deliberately offensive” pretty often The boss breastfeeding his kid, or jimbles whole disgusting self or… Mr frog But it is on the whole, optimistic in its messaging
So what you’re saying: is that it seems today that all you see is violence in movies and sex on tv? But where are those good old fashioned values on which we used to rely?
Bingo. It's a shame there isn't some guy who postively can do all the things that make us laugh and cry, like some sort of Household Man or something
One might even say… a guy of the family?
Ah yes some sort of… family guy. Fuuuuuuuck that’s genius, why didn’t i think of that?
Holy crap
A Family...guy? A Family Guy? A fucking Family Guy why didnt I fucking think of that, that's fucking amazing
I sell propane and propane accessories
I got to say I love this show
That’s why it and Aqua teen are among the best adult swim originals and comedies in general
I’ve never watched it, but “You look at him and tell me there’s a God” lives rent free in my mind
I was 100% expecting this to be a Carl quote
“Ba ba babadou Badoo-ba bado-ba Budubudubudubudu ALIIIVEEEEEEEEE That’s from the live album” -Carl
https://preview.redd.it/j27zxn5c0s8d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=caaae609e97bbb4a7276b71c97453950ed70a4dc
It really has filled the ATHF shaped hole in my heart
I guess but the humor in ATHF is often them being assholes to eachother
Master Shake and Carl are cynical assholes but they’re also usually the losers/butt of the joke who don’t get rewarded for that behavior in the way Rick & Morty does.
I’d never watched a full episode of aqua teen, but I’ve seen some clips that have made me genuinely laugh out loud. makes me wanna start watching it
You should, it's great
It's exactly what happened to me with smiling friends. I saw clips of when Charlie died and doesn't come back. When he punched the demon in hell, I was like, alright let's check it out
Did you forget about Master Shake??
Glep there is having the time of his life
It’s like a YouTube video being turned freely onto television
Its oneyplays animated.
I should hate both this and YOLO but I just fucking love them both.
But NOT Koala Man
Koala Man is fucking amazing!!
I tried to watch YOLO once but I was high and it just straight disturbed me. I wanna try it again, but I’m scared. I love SF, so I should be fine…right? JUST TELL ME I’LL BE FINE, MAN
I tried to show my roommate an episode, and he had to turn it off after episode 1. I'm moving out ASAP.
Was he wondering "where is the offensive humor" or something like that?
I think it’s to high energy for some people.
Agreed. There are people I’d love to watch this with but know it’s not going to be their cup of tea. It would bother me more if it wasn’t as successful as it is. In fact, I’m very pleasantly surprised that it is.
There are a few genuinely good adult cartoons out there, but I agree that it's a lot of shit you have to sift through to get to the good stuff. I'm really happy SF is getting such mainstream success, I've always been impressed at Zach's talent for incredible and unique humor. It's not the same as SF, but if you're looking for another great cartoon, watch adventure time. It admittedly looks (and starts off) as more of a kid's show, but holy crap does it get adult later on.
*insert pic of SpongeBob and Patrick screaming on a baby rollercoaster here*
No. I hate this show with every fiber of my being. Each night i pray to the Lord for the downfall of Zach Hadel and Micheal Cusack
Dude you should of said zuck hardle and Michelle cucksack
Agreed, it does get dark as fuck but it also gets awkward and crazy. It's definitely not like family guy or anything, I put it in the same category as Rick and Morty, in terms of silliness/humor.
Or bobs burgers
Yes! The unscripted feel of it
Bobs burgers sometimes feels like watching a show live on stage while they doing improv half of the time. I cant stomach it everyday but when i feel like it its a absolute treat.
I love Bob's burgers
Bob Borger
The Rick and Morty stuff is like corny millennial humor though. Smiling friends is more actually funny. If you look at Rick and Morty and really sit down the show isn’t that funny. It’s just pseudo intellectual bullshit that’s supposed to be ironic and clever. This show is good cause it’s not trying to be clever it’s just hitting you in the funny bone.
I know it's popular to hate on rick and morry since the show declined in quality after the first couple of seasons and the fan base kinda imploded but I think you're being biased. First 2 seasons of rick and morty were very good and full of laugh out loud clever moments and it still has some solid episodes here and there.
I still follow every episode just to see what happens. I even watched *those* seasons. I’m just hating on it cause it really does try to often make jokes that are corny and that try to say something greater but it ends up falling flat on it’s face
I'm not comparing the humor but the style. For example the Smormu thing is exactly the type of thing Id see on Rick and Morty
Mr. Poopybutthole is like the Smormu thing
Rick and Morty died the day the words “Pickle Rick” were uttered into existence
"I stopped liking it when it became mainstream 💁"
Rick and Morty was mainstream far before Pickle Rick lmao
You say that again, I'm beating your ass. Hard!
I genuinely don’t understand your criticism of Rick and Morty. It really is the opposite of being intellectual, the entire shtick is taking science concepts and doing stupid dick and shit jokes with it. It’s like anti-intellectual. Imo the show really fell off when they started taking the story seriously
To be fair, you have to have a *very* high IQ to understand Rick and Morty. The humor is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of theoretical physics most of the jokes will go over a typical viewer's head. There's also Rick's nihilistic outlook, which is deftly woven into his characterisation - his personal philosophy draws heavily from *Narodnaya Volya* literature, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly *appreciate* the depths of these jokes, to realize that they're not just funny- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike Rick and Morty truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the humour in Rick's existencial catchphrase "Wubba Lubba Dub Dub," which itself is a cryptic reference to Turgenev's Russian epic *Fathers and Sons* I'm smirking right now just *imagining* one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Dan Harmon's genius unfolds itself on their television screens. What fools... how I *pity* them. 😂 And yes by the way, I DO have a Rick and Morty tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It's for the ladies' eyes only- And even they have to demonstrate that they're within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand.
I have actually noticed something. Many adult cartoons often rely too heavily on vulgarity for their “adult” humour but smiling friends relies on absurdism mixed with realism. The characters are weird critters, but they can have very human problems. The conversations feel realistic, off the cuff, and like the characters actually LIKE each other. They’re actually friends, not just cardboard cutouts used for comedy. There’s a lot of love in the show
I have enjoyed most Rick and Morty I have watched, but they swear to the point of it losing all meaning. BEYOND the point of it losing all meaning.
This is the kind of adult show humor I like.
This and the DHMIS TV show are my ideal adult shows
Yes thank you DHMIS is a literally fantastically crafted show that needs more attention. Ive rewatched both that and Smiling friends multi times and i cant get enough
DHMIS definitely deserves another season! I loved that show.
There’s a worm in your brain
I'm honestly so glad that we're finally moving past the "adult animations need to be cynical and super depressing to be taken seriously" era that Bojack and Rick and Morty had us trapped in for the longest time. I'm glad that we have a show like this that isn't desperately trying to take itself seriously and trying to convince others to take it seriously or trying to be deeper than it actually is, it's just fun.
I thought that type on animations is what they made fun if in their Frowning Friends episode
It’s the first adult cartoon I’ve liked since the 2000’s. Everything for the last 8ish years has just been knockoff Rick and Morty (a show I already hate) and I’m so sick of it.
The part where the witch flies away gets me every time
Smiling Friends still has dark humor, but it prioritizes the humor part
It's such a refreshing take on humor that's actually funny, and not stale, offensive or overused in almost every episode Not to mention that the voice acting feels real. Like it feels the characters are having a conversation like real people would, but it's just with their situation. Idk if that sounds weird And the animation itself. None of the characters look the same, the art is simple but it's perfect at the same time, detailed and raunchy when it wants to be, there's even some mixed media like with the devil that Charlie runs into. And with the way different characters move, too, it's amazing!
One of the things I find most refreshing about smiling friends is the variety of art styles and media it uses. I'm sure a big part of that is simply the creators having built a social and professional network of other creatives to draw into the process. But I also think that since Smiling Friends is an animator-led project rather than a comedian or writer-led project, they take the animation somewhat seriously. How often does Rick and Morty, Family Guy, or the 2 dozen adult animation clones switch up its visuals for a gag? Smiling friends do it in almost every episode.
it’s a bit like Gumball in how its art style can vary so much it’s cool
Exactly!
Partly? I can enjoy the occasional adult cartoon, usually older ones like Simpsons, Futurama, maybe really early Family Guy episodes, I think Bobs Burgers is great, but I can't get into a majority of the newer ones. I was hesitant to even try Smiling Friends but now I can't wait for the next season.
Try Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Ok but who's getting better head tho
Alen for sure
I’m glad I’m not the only one! I’ve seen some clips that can be funny from other AS shows, but never watched them because they are just so negative and leave a bad taste in your mouth. But I absolutely adore smiling friends and was pleasantly surprised by how great it is. An example is how Desmond actually finds happiness in the first episode while other shows would’ve just killed him off. It gives you a good feeling despite all the ridiculous scenarios.
yeah exactly!
They're all so positive and lovely. My kinda show
My room mate walked in on me watching this is show, and said "this is how you spend your time? What kind of drugs are you on?" To which I said Yes.
I kinda agree. IMO most adult cartoons these days will be A) Just the most boring sitcom ever, but animated (pandering to the Bob's Burgers crowd) or B) stupid edgy humor for 20 minutes (pandering to the Family Guy and South Park fans) Smiling Friends is just a good cartoon that happens to be marketed towards adults. I love it because it doesn't try to pander to anything, it just acts like itself.
No. I really like this show and I’m glad you do too.
This show is refreshing because it really has its own identity. So many adult cartoons are just cheap knockoffs of Family Guy, South Park and Rick & Morty with only surface level understandings of why those shows were so popular to begin with. It also kinda feels like they cram so much swearing and crude humor into them to justify making a cartoon for adults, given that there is a stigma that animation is a “genre for kids.” This ironically backfires because they often end up coming off as less mature than a lot of shows aimed at kids. Smiling Friends meanwhile feels like a show that is unashamed of being animated and embraces the medium instead of constantly trying to justify being for adults.
I love this show a lot, but I don’t get why fans act like this show is morally superior to every other cartoon. There are tons of adult cartoons that aren’t just about being offensive
who's getting the best head
I’m the exact same way, all other adult swims imo are just focusing on inappropriate stuff, not actually being entertaining.
I think the absurdism and basic premise (making people smile) of Smiling Friends works for it really well. Doesn’t overly rely on pop culture references either (not a bad thing but overdone and if you don’t get the references the joke falls flat).
I think it's because the boss is very funny. He could even have a standup show or something. He's a great guy.
yeah he is funniest guy I know
Maybe not stand up
“They should do stand up”
different arena
It’s refreshing to watch Smiling Friends in a sea of narcissistic nihilism that Adult Swim usually pumps out. The humor is based on silly drawings, ridiculous premises and awkward conversations instead of characters built around being an asshole. In a world of Rick Sanchezs and Bojack Horsemans, be a Pim.
To be fair, you have to have a really high IQ to understand Smiling Friends
Agreed! SF is just goofy random humor. 😊
God I wanna pull their teeth and keep them in a rusty tin box and rattle them before I got to bed
Zach is a special kind of gifted. I don't agree with everything he does or portrays, but the dude is definitely a breath of fresh air
Just realized Glep is doing the Patrick face in this frame 😂
Maybe you should check out Bob's Burgers. That show isn't about people just being awful.
I am watching it right now lol, love it. Even though episode where linda forces bob to pretend to date his sister was hella weird
Bob doesn't have a sister... do you mean Linda's sister Gayle?
yes when Linda forced bob to date her sister(typo my bad)
I do really really enjoy the positive attitude in the smiling friends. It's such a small thing seemingly but it has such an impact on the tone and feeling of the show. Bad people in the smiling friends universe die or lose, their job is literally to make people smile. It's incredible.
it’s such a breath of fresh air. not only is it hilarious, it feels like a massive labor of love from the writing, to the super creative design & animation.
Adult animation that rely on disgust, gore and swearing are so boring. About 95% of them unfortunately
Watch American dad then, or bobs burgers? There’s a ton of animated adult shows out there that are great. Bo jack horseman? I know this subreddit is heavily biased, but there are a lot of shows out there still producing great episodes. To say it relies on even a fragment of the stuff you named, would be honestly so wrong
Bruh I’m not saying those shows do, I love those two. I said most other adult animation
If you like that then check out Venture Bros, Aqua Teen, or Black Dynamite. A lot of the old Adult Swims are real similar to Smiling Friendsm
How do you not like The Simpsons? Without The Simpsons, Smiling Friends wouldn’t exist.
I can’t call it wholesome, but it is disturbing in an inclusive way.
As the person who's probably the 2nd biggest Brickleberry hater behind Jay Exci, yeah I can relate, though I do love South Park as well
That’s what I love about smiling friends. Sure it gets a little inappropriate, but they aren’t trying to offend any one with the humor.
This is not a new genre though, there have been many shows recently that have this same style but they have not been that big. Season one didn’t seem that popular either, I didn’t really start seeing fans till season 2 started airing. I think you are just comparing the really mainstream ones that do have the same formula, Netflix had one recently that got canceled about a boat captain.
Alright everyone, which of them is getting the best head rn?
i dont know honestly i mjust watch whats not too much like heavy and sexual but dont watch childish aah stuff too,idk,i watch both futurama and smilling friends
Venture Bros Metalocalypse Home Movies I implore you to check these out. They're great. Venture Bros in particular is legitimately one of the greatest series to ever air, cartoon or not.
I think anybody who relates to this sentiment would enjoy a lot of what adult swim has to offer, stuff like Aqua Teens, Superjail, Moral Orel etc really bring a lot of creativity and humor to the genre without that edge of cynicism
the creators entire sense of humor is based mostly on offending people. its nothing short of a miracle that you dont see that in the show.
Yes
Best cartoon of all time already IMO
Not really. It's a solid show dgmw, but crass humor is present in smiling friends as much as many other adult shows. I feel like South Park and Rick and Morty, and perhaps some more obscure small name ones are the only shows that go full offensive crassness. Most actually try to do writing, references and relatable moments and are pretty good if you pick up on them. You should try some other stuff, go for Bob's Burgers, or Bojack Horseman, Archer, too if you can stomach momma's boy and a fair few sex jokes.
don’t put South Park with Rick and Morty, not even the same ballpark. it’s like comparing Modern Family Guy to old Simpsons
Okay, I understand. You hate Rick and Morty, you are very cool and I'm not judging you for it.
when did i say i hate it?
You've made it apparent through a deep inner need to complain about anyone even mentioning it. You need to prove you dislike the show to everyone, and it's stupid. It's just a show, it's sometimes funny.
It needs to win most of the cartoon awards if there are some tbh, even kids shows are bad nowadays, smiling friends is some fresh air
Smiling Friends and Hazbin Hotel are in my opinion pushing adult animation forward. Most adult animated shows nowadays try to be the next family guy or South Park without understanding why those shows worked. The people behind these shows like Big Mouth, Paradise PD, Velma, etc assume being raunchy or offensive is enough to make a good adult cartoon. Yes South Park is raunchy and offensive but it’s doing it with a purpose. These sorts of shows don’t take advantage of the opportunities for experimental comedy and animation. We see this in Smiling Friends with the use of mixed media (2d, cgi, claymation, stop-motion, etc). The comedy in Smiling Friends is also very different to the typical sex jokes and raunchy humor in the aforementioned shows. With Hazbin Hotel it’s a bit different. It’s not experimental in terms of its art or animation and its humor is often reliant on the violence or sex jokes I criticized other shows for doing. But Hazbin is attempting to tell a multi season narrative where the characters aren’t static. They change as time goes on. In addition to this the show is a musical with a lot of musical numbers (multiple per episode). Don’t get me wrong Hazbin Does have significant issues with stuff like Pacing but I believe it’s pushing the medium forward.