The show focuses mainly on Pim and Charlie, who work for the Smiling Friends business, a business dedicated to making people smile. Pim is the more idealistic where as Charlie is more grounded but both of them appear to have a geniune friendship and we see it throughout the show, warts and all.
The Good
The high point of the show is that it isn't a cynical show like so many adult animation shows have become. Sure, it was edgy and cool when Rick and Morty first aired, but now it's just sad and pathetic. Smiling Friends did a good job of getting close to the edge of the abyss but reigning it back in.
Pim, as stated above, is more idealistic than Charlie. In the pilot episode, he takes a suicidal middle-aged man named Desmond to various activities in order to cheer him up, all of which are things you would do with little kids. Charlie has basically written Desmond off from the beginning recognizing that they are way in too deep. Desmond, fortunately, finds a reason to live in the end, but it has nothing to do with anything Pim did.
Charlie, on the other hand, is more grounded in his approach. We see the two friends differing techniques on full display in the third episode Shrimp's Odyessy. Here, both friends try to help Shrimp, a literal shrimp person who just broke up with his girlfriend. Pim's approach is to try and get Shrimp and his ex back together. Charlie's approach is to improve Shrimp's prospects for attracting someone new by improving his looks and fitness. While both approaches could be considered valid, in the end they just blunder their way into making Shrimp happy again.
The side characters are just as interesting. Mr Boss is the head of the company and he's, well, eccentric to say the least. His first appearance is actually quite disturbing but after that, he's a little less creepy. And his breakdown in the Frowning Friends episode is really funny.
The show also pokes fun at cancel culture, especially in the entertainment industry, and toward the end it flat out says that Christianity was right all along. That might be a joke, but it is refreshing in an entertainment landscape that goes out its way to deny the existence of Jesus or Christianity in general.
The Bad
There isn't much bad in this show. I guess that you could say that some of the episodes were a bit forgettable, but that's pretty normal for most shows. But for me, they weren't that forgettable.
The Ugly
There are few gross-out moments in the show. Fortunately, the characters do appear to react with disgust at these moments instead of flat out indifference like so many other shows have done in the past. But there are some gross out moments in the show, which is probably why the show isn't considered to be for children. It's a shame because I would recommend it for young adults since there are episodes that have positive messages for healthy lifestyles.
Overall, this show was well down and I do look forward to the next season. As long as the show's writers steer clear of the downright nihilism of many other adult animated shows, they have a real gem on their hands.