The cartoon was produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and was originally broadcast as a segment on The Pink Panther Laugh-and-a-Half Hour-and-a-Half Show, a 90-minute anthology series on NBC that grouped together theatrical shorts from the studio's inventory; Misterjaw was thus the only newly produced cartoon in the program. After its network run, the show was syndicated to stations as part of the Pink Panther package.
This show contains examples of:
- Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: Misterjaw wears a top hat, a bow-tie, and a vest. Catfish wears a derby.
- Actor Allusion: One of the bumpers features Misterjaw trying to scare Tyrone F. Horneigh, a character his voice actor, Arte Johnson, performed in Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In and later in another DFE series, Baggy Pants and the Nitwits.
- One episode features Misterjaw saying "Very interesting", similar to how Wolfgang, another character in Laugh-In performed by Johnson, says it.
- Ass in a Lion Skin: In "Show Biz Shark", the eponymous shark disguises himself as a porpoise to sneak into show business.
- Catchphrase: Misterjaw's "GOTCHA!"
- iSophagus: In "Transistorized Shark", Misterjaw accidentally swallows a portable radio belonging to one of his victims and really freaks out Freddie the Shark Hunter when it broadcasts at terribly inopportune moments.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Catfish always calls Misterjaw "Chief" or "Boss", and frightened humans simply call him "Shark". In fact, Misterjaw's name was never said on-screen, the only mention being the series title itself.
- Malaproper: Misterjaw's speech pattern is full of this. He frequently mispronounces words, like knucklehead as "ka-nuckle head", among many, many other examples.
- Surprisingly Functional Toys: The cartoon "Shark and the Beanstalk" involves the duo encountering a giant in a castle. After a lengthy chase, they find a room filled with toys and make their escape from the castle using a toy plane to fly off.
- Tailfin Walking: Misterjaw and Catfish do this constantly whenever they're on land.
- Terrestrial Sea Life: While Misterjaw and Catfish largely live in the ocean, multiple episodes focus on them getting into misadventures on land, being able to breathe oxygen without issues.
- Threatening Shark: The main character, although he rarely attacks humans beyond pranking them with his "GOTCHA!"
- Unexplained Accent: Misterjaw speaks in an exaggerated German accent. According to him in one episode, he came from the South Pacific, which is nowhere near Germany.
- Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist: Misterjaw. He scares the daylights out of humans for laughs; he constantly bullies his only friend and sidekick, Catfish; and he frequently insults people.
