- Superjail!
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Superjail! 
Title card for Superjail!Genre Black comedy
Surrealism
SplatterCreated by Christy Karacas[1]
Stephen Warbrick[1]
Ben Gruber[1]Developed by Augenblick Studios Voices of David Wain
Christy Karacas
Teddy Cohn
Christopher McCulloch
Richard MatharOpening theme "Comin' Home" by Cheeseburger featuring Doc[2]
"Rubber Bullets" by 10cc (pilot only)Country of origin United States Language(s) English No. of seasons 2 No. of episodes 21 (List of episodes) Production Executive producer(s) Christy Karacas
Stephen Warbrick
Ben GruberProducer(s) Shannon Prynoski
Chris McCulloch (consulting)Running time 11 minutes Production company(s) Williams Street
Augenblick Studios (2007-2008)
Titmouse, Inc. (2011-present)Broadcast Original channel Adult Swim Picture format 4:3 SDTV (pilot only)
16:9 HDTVOriginal run Pilot: May 13, 2007;
September 28, 2008 – presentExternal links Website Superjail! is an American animated television series produced by Augenblick Studios the first season and Titmouse, Inc. the second season. The series follows the events that take place in an unusual prison.[3] The pilot episode aired on television on May 13, 2007, and its first season began on September 28, 2008. Superjail! is characterized by its psychedelic shifts in setting and plot and extreme graphic violence, which give the series a TV-MA V rating.[4] These elements are depicted through highly elaborate animated sequences, which have been described as "baroque and complicated and hard to take in at a single viewing".[3]
Contents
Setting and premise
The majority of Superjail! is set inside the eponymous prison. Externally, Superjail is built inside a volcano which is itself located in a larger volcano. Internally, it seems to constitute its own reality, where the fabric of time and space is extremely fluid and changes at the whim of the Warden. Superjail's inmate population is stated by Jared to be in excess of 70,000, although the show's creators mention that the jail processes "billions of inmates".
In the first season, each episode begins with a linear story revolving around an irresponsible scheme concocted by the Warden to satisfy some whim. The episode builds up in both violence and surrealism into a climactic, psychedelic blood bath during which dozens of inmates are brutally murdered, either by one another or some external force. Some episode plots have no resolutions at all, with the story simply stopping when events have reached their most chaotic. Regardless, the status quo is always restored by the next episode.
Beginning with the second season, the creators modified the format of the series to focus more on character development and story, as imagined by a revised writing staff.[5] The second season premiere "Best Friends Forever" demonstrated an immediate break from the first season's template, focusing the episode on Jailbot and Jared as opposed to the Warden, setting half of the episode outside of the prison, and lacking an extended murder sequence in the climax.
Influences
In an interview, creator Christy Karacas said influences for the show include Tex Avery, Child art, Bob Clampett, Vince Collins ("Malice in Wonderland"), Sally Cruikshank, Dave and Max Fleischer, The Itchy & Scratchy Show, Looney Tunes, Mad, The Muppets, Outsider art, Gary Panter, Pee-wee's Playhouse, Schoolhouse Rock!, Dr. Seuss, and Underground comix.[6]
Characters
From left to right, going down: The Warden, Jared, Alice, Jailbot, The Doctor, The Twins, Jacknife, Gary and Bird, and Paul and Jean.
- The Warden (David Wain) - the proprietor of Superjail. Clad in a purple tailcoat, gloves, a purple top hat, red cummerbund, and yellow-tinted glasses, the Warden has been described as a "sadistic Willy Wonka".[7] Rather than handling any administrative tasks, he spends most of his time lusting after chief guard Alice, or indulging his own bizarre fantasies. Despite his seemingly happy and carefree demeanor, he regularly endangers the lives of Superjail prisoners—often intentionally—to satisfy his own desires. Although he refrains from mayhem in the world outside of Superjail, an episode dealing with an alternate future depicts him ruthlessly subjugating the entire human race and turning the whole world into a single prison state.
- Jared (Teddy Cohn) - Superjail's large headed, uptight accountant, and the Warden's primary assistant; he handles most of the jail's administrative duties. He was first taken to Superjail as a prisoner for unknowingly working for the mafia, and got his job when he impressed the Warden with his intelligence. He is in recovery for, according to the show's creators, every addiction possible, including alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling, sex addiction, and compulsive eating.
- Alice (Christy Karacas) - the hulking, muscular head guard of Superjail, who is transgender and possesses both female and male features. She regularly engages in sadomasochistic rituals with the prisoners (not always with their consent), but rebuffs the Warden's constant advances. She was originally a male guard at a normal prison who got a sex change when she fell in love with that prison's warden. However, she was fired as a result of the prison's warden ultimately turning out to be homosexual and deeming her a monster, but was hired by the Warden shortly after.[8] While Alice is apparently taking hormone therapy (to the point that she has grown breasts), becomes angered when anyone refers to her as male, and publicly considers herself a woman, the season two finale directly states that she has not yet undergone genital reconstruction surgery.
- Jailbot - a tombstone-shaped levitating robot that the Warden made to perform tasks in and around Superjail. He was created by the Warden himself, and kills inmates without mercy while capturing criminals like Jacknife. In the episode "Jailbot 2.0", the Warden claims that Jailbot single-handedly built the vast prison, but flashbacks suggest that Jailbot is really the latest in a series of similar robots. He is mute, with a dot matrix screen that displays a simple expressive face.[6] Despite his ruthlessness, Jailbot also possesses a childlike personality, protecting the Warden from any harm and watching out for the welfare of young children who come across his path; Christy Karacas described him as a "red headed stepchild... seeking approval." He has even shown compassion for Jacknife, releasing him and allowing his escape in "Best Friends Forever".[8]
- The Doctor - the resident physician of Superjail. He regularly experiments on the inmates in grotesque ways, and has a German accent.
- The Twins (Richard Mathar) - green-blooded, blond, identical twin aliens with European-sounding accents who inhabit a laboratory underneath Superjail and wear outfits resembling those worn by the Sandmen in Logan's Run. They took a year abroad trip to Earth and then decided to stay, to their father's chagrin. Their on-screen appearances are accompanied by techno music. The Twins use unexplained powers—including teleportation and shrinking—to interfere with the Warden's plans for their amusement. Although their plots often result in mass death and destruction, the Twins do not appear to harbor any malice towards either the Warden or the prisoners.
- Jacknife (Christy Karacas) - a low-level criminal who appears in the openings of most episodes, getting captured by Jailbot; his journey to Superjail makes up the opening credits sequence. He is often depicted escaping the jail during the murder sequences in the first season. He never speaks and communicates only by way of animalistic grunts and shrieks.
- Gary and Bird - Gary is a silent, bespectacled man obviously based on Robert Franklin Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz. However, Gary is mostly a servant to Bird, a small female canary, who is the unofficial "boss" of all the prisoners in Superjail.
- Paul Guaye and Jean Baptiste Le Ghei (both Christopher McCulloch) - Two homosexual inmates that can be seen in nearly every episode. They were the leaders of the rival "Purple Pythons" and "Double Rainbow" gangs in Superjail before falling in love and eventually getting married.
- Ash - A severely burned pyrokinetic pyromaniac prisoner. His burns come from a fire caused by his father, a drunk, dropping a cigarette in a movie theater.
- Lord Stingray (Eric Bauza) - A stereotypical supervillain character, akin to Cobra Commander. After being defeated by his army-themed enemies, he crash-landed on Superjail Island and tried to take it over, but ended up being imprisoned. He has been a thorn in the Warden's side ever since.
Episodes
Main article: List of Superjail! episodesDVD releases
DVD name Release date Ep # Features Season One [9] February 23, 2010 11 All episodes in Season One, the music video "Comin' Home", the animatics for episodes 1,9,10, and the pilot. All featured in 2.0 Stereo and closed captioning. Dialogue remains censored in the feature episodes despite the label on the DVD stating otherwise. Season Two [10] March 13, 2012 10 Episode commentary, Cheeseburger concert footage, Cheeseburger animated music video References
- ^ a b c Gough, Paul J. "Three Series Take Dip in Adult Swim." The Hollywood Reporter. April 27, 2007.. Retrieved 01 January 2009.
- ^ Dodero, Camille. "Les Savy Fav's Tim Harrington Was on Super Jail Last Night." Sound of the City Blog. Village Voice. November 24, 2008.. Retrieved 01 January 2009.
- ^ a b Lloyd, Robert (September 27, 2008). "Animation for adult eyes only". The Los Angeles Times: pp. E-15. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/27/entertainment/et-timsuperjail27. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
- ^ Reynolds, Mike (April 26, 2007). "Adult Swim to Test Friday Waters". Multichannel News. http://www.multichannel.com/article/128784-Adult_Swim_to_Test_Friday_Waters.php. Retrieved 2009-05-21.009.
- ^ Going Back to 'Superjail!'
- ^ a b "Superjail Super Interview". 2011-03-24. http://coldhardflash.com/2008/09/superjail-super-interview.html. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- ^ "Adult Swim Announces 2007 Programming Slate at New York Upfront". 2008-04-26. http://www.businesswire.com/news/google/20070426006382/en. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- ^ a b Colfax, Ty (2009-02-27). "'Superjail' Creators". Attack of the Show. G4 TV. http://g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/moviesandtv/66330/Superjail-Creators.html. Retrieved 3.2.2009.
- ^ "Superjail Season One DVD release". November 5, 2009. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Superjail-Season-1/12917.
- ^ "Superjail Season 2 DVD Release Date and Cover Art". November 17, 2011. http://jailbot.com/2011/11/superjail-season-2-dvd.
External links
- Superjail! at Adult Swim
- Superjail! at the Internet Movie Database
- Superjail! at TV.com
- Superjail! Augenblick Studios
- Jailbot.com : Superjail Central • Unofficial Superjail Fansite
- Christy Karacas Exclusive Interview at Staytoonedin
Categories:- Flash cartoons
- Flash television shows
- Adult Swim original programs
- 2000s American animated television series
- 2007 American television series debuts
- Fictional prisons
- Black comedy television programs
- Surrealist works
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