feelsalike.com

Shows that feel like Smiling Friends (2020–2026)

If you loved Smiling Friends, the closest series we have are Superstore (2015), I Am Not an Animal (2004) and Ghosts (2021). All three share Smiling Friends' witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 11 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu and others, checked against today's data.

Smiling Friends Inc. is a small company whose main purpose is to bring happiness and make people smile. The series follows the day-to-day lives and misadventures of its representatives, the lazy, cynical Charlie, and the cheerful, optimistic Pim, as they try to cheer up and comfort the troubled people who call their company's hotline. They receive seemingly simple requests but the jobs turn out to be more complicated than they seem, making it difficult to bring happiness to the world.

8.5 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗3 seasons · Adult Swimcreated by Michael Cusackwittyplayfulcerebraldreamlike
Buy seasons:Amazon see price ↗Apple TV$19.99 buySmiling Friends, The Complete Series · Apple price as of 2026-08-28

If Smiling Friends hit the spot, these will too

Superstore poster
Superstore
2015–2021 · 6 seasons · NBC
7.9comedy

Common ground: workplace comedy

The difference: None of the ideas Smiling Friends is built on

A hilarious workplace comedy about a unique family of employees at a super-sized mega store. From the bright-eyed newbies and the seen-it-all veterans to the clueless summer hires and the in-it-for-life managers, together they hilariously tackle the day-to-day grind of rabid bargain hunters, riot-causing sales and nap-worthy training sessions.

Feels alike?
I Am Not an Animal poster
I Am Not an Animal
2004 · 1 season · BBC Two
7.9animation · comedy · sci-fi & fantasy

Both are built on the same subject: adult animation

I Am Not An Animal is an animated comedy series about the only six talking animals in the world, whose cosseted existence in a vivisection unit is turned upside down when they are liberated by animal rights activists.

Feels alike?
Ghosts poster
Ghosts
2021– · 6 seasons · CBS
7.9comedy · sci-fi & fantasy

Witty and playful in the same breath

Samantha and Jay throw caution to the wind when they convert their recently inherited country estate into a bed-and-breakfast. Call it mislaid plans. Not only is the place falling apart, but it’s also inhabited by spirits of previous residents -- whom only Samantha can see and hear.

Feels alike?
What We Do in the Shadows poster
What We Do in the Shadows
2019–2024 · 6 seasons · FX
8.5comedy · sci-fi & fantasy

The same mix in both: ideas, then dream logic

A documentary-style look into the daily (or rather, nightly) lives of a group of vampires in Staten Island who have “lived” together for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Feels alike?
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid poster
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
2017–2021 · 2 seasons · Tokyo MX
7.7animation · comedy · sci-fi & fantasy

Both lean on wit more than on animation

Kobayashi lives alone in an apartment, until one day, Tohru appeared and they ended up living together. Tohru looks down on humans as inferior and foolish, but having been saved by Kobayashi-san, she does everything she can to repay the debt and help her with various things, although not everything goes according to plan. A mythical everyday life comedy about a hard working office lady living with a dragon girl.

Feels alike?
Disenchantment poster
Disenchantment
2018–2023 · 3 seasons · Netflix
7.2animation · comedy · action & adventure

Both keep coming back to the same thing: adult animation

The difference: Sits closer to action & adventure than Smiling Friends does

Set in a ruined medieval city called Dreamland, Disenchantment follows the grubby adventures of a hard-drinking princess, her feisty elf companion and her personal demon.

Feels alike?
Scissor Seven poster
Scissor Seven
2018–2024 · 5 seasons · iQiyi
8.4animation · comedy · action & adventure

Comedy with a pulse of play, in both cases

Seeking to recover his memory, a scissor-wielding, hairdressing, bungling quasi-assassin stumbles into a struggle for power among feuding factions.

Feels alike?
Upload poster
Upload
2020–2025 · 4 seasons · Prime Video
7.8comedy · sci-fi & fantasy · drama

Sci-fi & fantasy built on ideas, twice over

In 2033, people who are near death can be “uploaded” into virtual reality hotels run by 6 tech firms. Cash-strapped Nora lives in Brooklyn and works customer service for the luxurious “Lakeview” digital afterlife. When L.A. party-boy/coder Nathan’s self-driving car crashes, his high-maintenance girlfriend uploads him permanently into Nora’s VR world.

Feels alike?
Inside Job poster
Inside Job
2021–2022 · 1 season · Netflix
7.7comedy · animation

The same preoccupation in both: workplace comedy

The difference: Missing the ideas of Smiling Friends

For employees of the Deep State, conspiracies aren't just theories — they're fact. And keeping them a secret is a full-time job.

Feels alike?
Misfits poster
Misfits
2009–2013 · 5 seasons · E4
8.1sci-fi & fantasy · drama · comedy

Dreamlike comedy in both cases

When five young outsiders on Community Service get caught in a strange storm, they discover that they have developed superpowers.

Feels alike?
The Daily Life of the Immortal King poster
The Daily Life of the Immortal King
2020– · 5 seasons · bilibili
7.1animation · comedy · action & adventure

Witty animation, and it commits to that

As a cultivation genius who has achieved a new realm every two years since he was a year old, Wang Ling is a near-invincible existence with prowess far beyond his control. But now that he’s sixteen, he faces his greatest battle yet – Senior High School. With one challenge after another popping up, his plans for a low-key high school life seem further and further away…

Feels alike?
The God of High School poster
The God of High School
2020 · 1 season · AT-X
7.2animation · comedy · action & adventure

Playful sci-fi & fantasy, and it commits to that

Jin Mori has proclaimed himself the strongest high schooler. His life changes when he's invited to participate in "God of High School," a tournament to determine the strongest high schooler of all. He's told that if he wins, any wish he makes will be granted... All the participants are powerful contenders who fight their hardest for their own wishes. What awaits them at the end of the tournament? A chaotic battle between unbelievably strong high school students is about to begin!

Feels alike?

In the mood for more witty?

all witty shows →

The best-reviewed series that share Smiling Friends’ defining feeling.