Over the years, Adult Swim has aired many animated shows originally from Fox, including Family Guy, American Dad, Bob’s Burgers, and King of the Hill. However, one popular Fox cartoon has never been shown on the channel: The Simpsons, which has remained on traditional broadcast television for decades. But recently, an unexpected collaboration between Adult Swim and the world of The Simpsons happened, and it ended on a high note.
After the news that Smiling Friends is ending with the last two episodes of its third season, a designer from The Simpsons shared a message referencing the previous disagreement between the two shows. Andy Manley posted a photo on Instagram of his work name tag, which featured character designs he created for the Adult Swim series that playfully mocked The Simpsons. He wrote, “Even though Smiling Friends is ending, it will live on through my work badge.” While a formal crossover between the two shows seems unlikely now, this touching image feels like a fitting conclusion to their past conflict.
The Smiling Simpsons
If you missed it, Smiling Friends and The Simpsons recently did a crossover. It started with the season 36 finale of The Simpsons, where Bart was watching a show called “The Screaming Friends”—a clear nod to Smiling Friends. His mom, Marge, was shocked by it. In response, the creators of Smiling Friends made a parody of The Simpsons.
In the Adult Swim show, Pim and Charlie got their payback in the episode “Squim Returns.” During the sixth episode of the third season, Pim watches a cartoon that’s a clear spoof of The Simpsons, featuring characters resembling Homer, Marge, Lisa, and Bart. When the fake Homer character eats Bart, Pim, the pink-skinned character from Smiling Friends, laughs and says, “After four hundred and eighty-seven seasons, they still got it.” Since The Simpsons has already been on for forty seasons, this is a funny jab at how long the show has lasted.
The last two episodes of Smiling Friends will air on Cartoon Network on April 12th. Although the show has already been renewed for seasons four and five, creators Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel have decided to wrap up this current storyline. They explained that they want to end the series while Charlie and Pim are still fresh, avoiding the issue some fans feel has happened with The Simpsons over the years.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Via Andy Manley
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2026-03-05 19:40