The Smurfs and the Howlibird a serum that makes him good and nice for a while. Then, Gargamel and the smurfs go to Gargamel's house to save the prisoner smurf, and arrive just in time to save him from Azrael. However, the serum that made Gargamel good wears off and Gargamel captures all the smurfs. Luckily, a smurf has taken the magic whistle, so the smurfs hang one to another while Papa Smurf uses the whistle, and all smurfs return to the village. The Smurf Not Like the Others decides that nothing is better than stay in the safety of the village. The Smurfs and
The Smurfs to air on the USA network until 1993, and on Cartoon Network until 2003. "The Smurfs" is still broadcast on the Boomerang channel throughout the United States. The show became a major success for NBC, spawning spin-off television specials on an almost yearly basis. "The Smurfs" was nominated multiple times for Daytime Emmy awards, and won Outstanding Children's Entertainment Series in 1982–1983. "The Smurfs" television show enjoyed continued success until 1990, when, after nearly a decade of success, NBC cancelled it due to decreasing ratings and plans to extend their "Today" morning show franchise to create a Saturday edition, although