Superjail!

Setting and premise

Superjail! is primarily set within its namesake prison, which exists in an alternate dimension labeled 5612. The facility is run by the Warden, a cheerful but cruel and capricious leader with shapeshifting abilities who uses the jail and its inmates to fulfill his many whims. From the outside, Superjail sits beneath a volcano that is itself housed inside a larger volcano. Inside, the prison functions as its own reality, with time and space shifting according to the Warden’s desires.

The prison itself seems to be somewhat sentient, and its appearance changes based on who is perceiving it. Jared, the Warden’s main assistant, estimates the inmate count at over 70,000, though the show’s creators have said the prison processes billions of prisoners. In the first season, each episode starts with a straightforward plot driven by one of the Warden’s reckless schemes, escalating into a surreal, violent climax where many inmates are killed in gruesome ways.

Some stories end without resolution, halting at the peak of chaos, but the status quo returns by the next episode unless it is a multi-part story. Starting with season two, the series shifted toward character development and narrative, as shown in the episode “Best Friends Forever,” which focused on Jailbot and Jacknife and omitted the extended murder scene. Seasons three and four blended the earlier approaches, keeping character arcs and ongoing plots while bringing back the elaborate murder sequences at each episode’s end.

Development

The show was developed by Christy Karacas, Stephen Warbrick, and Ben Gruber. Karacas played in the band Cheeseburger, whose song “Comin’ Home” served as the theme through season four, and he also did background design for Daria on MTV. He later directed Robotomy and created Ballmastrz: 9009. Warbrick had worked on Beavis and Butt-Head and Daria, did digital art for Celebrity Deathmatch, and was an animatic artist at Blue Sky Studios. Gruber wrote for Ultracity 6060 on Cartoon Sushi and later wrote for Teen Titans Go!, Breadwinners, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Jellystone!. Karacas first made a student film for Cartoon Sushi in 1997 called “Space War,” then teamed up with Warbrick in 2001 on “Bar Fight,” which got Adult Swim’s attention and led to the series. The title Superjail! came from the old name of the Central North Correctional Centre.

Characters

The Warden, voiced by David Wain, runs Superjail and is the series' main protagonist. He is a tall, thin figure dressed in a purple tailcoat and top hat, gray gloves, a pink cummerbund, and round yellow-tinted glasses. Often compared to a sadistic mix of the Mad Hatter and Willy Wonka, he appears cheerful but is a deeply deranged sociopath shaped by a cruel father. He created Superjail as an outlet for his whims, frequently putting its inmates in danger without regard for human life.

He has magical powers, including shapeshifting and bending reality within the prison. His name is never given, though David Wain once suggested "Mark Davis" on Reddit. According to creator Karacas, the Warden is romantic asexual, yet he often shows explicit sexual interest in Chief Guard Alice. Jared, voiced by Teddy Cohn, is Superjail's accountant and the Warden's main assistant.

He has a large head, a long mustache, and a tense, high-strung personality. Jared handles most administrative work and runs activities like the Superjail Newspaper. He originally arrived as a prisoner after unknowingly working for the mafia, then earned his job by impressing the Warden with his financial skills. The creators state he is in recovery from every possible addiction, including alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling, and compulsive eating.