Netflix Cancels Gay Rom-Com 'Smiley' After Just One Season

Smiley premiered on Netflix as a Spanish romantic-comedy TV series based on the play of the same name by Guillem Clua. The main characters on the show consisted of Álex (played by Carlos Cuevas) and Bruno (played by Miki Esparbé).

Though the first season of Smiley told the complete story from the original play, showrunner Clua absolutely had plans to keep the series going for more seasons. In fact, during an interview from December 2022, the creator revealed that he already had enough “material for a second season of Smiley.”

Nonetheless, Netflix appears to have canceled Smiley after just one season. “I can tell you that there won’t be a second season of Smiley,” Clua explained during a recent interview with Aquí Catalynya. “But there will be other things that I can’t reveal right now.”

Fans of this gay rom-com are surely going to be upset about this cancelation, but it’s unfortunately yet another LGBTQ+ show that bites the dust.

While some may argue that the love story between Álex and Bruno was fully explored during the first season of Smiley, there was a chance that this could be an anthology rom-com series like the Anna Kendrick-led Love Life show on Amazon Prime Video, where each season focuses on a new character or set of characters.

Unfortunately, Smiley has been canceled a little too soon if the creator of the series had already even come up with plans for season two. We would’ve loved to see if Álex and Bruno had more story to tell, or if the show would evolve into an anthology… but it’s time to put those expectations to rest.

Long live Smiley – a truly adorable TV show with a central LGBTQ+ love story.

The first season of Smiley is streaming on Netflix.