Every year, Shark Week comes to terrify fans and educate the masses on sharks and what to expect from them. Collider is thrilled to bring you an exclusive look at the upcoming slate of programming for this year’s celebration. This year has a wide range of programming to get you excited. You’ll still have your “pulse-pounding recreations of terrifying shark attacks,” but this year, Discovery’s Shark Week is going to also include some pretty unique things. The new programming starts each night at 8 PM ET with fresh specials dropping each hour. If you missed them, don’t worry, Encores begin at 11 PM ET.
“Shark Week continues to evolve as a cultural phenomenon, blending adrenaline-fueled storytelling with cutting-edge science,” said Howard Lee, Chief Creative Officer of U.S. Networks and President of Discovery Networks. “But what truly sets it apart is the sheer joy and wonder our teams feel in bringing it to life. Every year, we dive into uncharted waters – discovering new stories, pushing creative limits, and celebrating the awe-inspiring world of sharks with fresh eyes. This time, the sharks aren’t just circling – they’re dancing.” The lineup starts with Dancing With Sharks on July 20. Hosted by Tom Bergeron, Dancing with Sharks is “a competition show unlike any other.” Basically, you’re going to see divers dancing with sharks. Then, there are both Air Jaws: The Hunt for Colossus and Great White Assassins airing that night as well.
The week continues with Great White Sex Battle on Monday, where sharks are competing in a series of challenges to see which sex of shark is superior. Then there is Jaws vs Mega Croc, and that is pretty self-explanatory. In the Eye of the Storm: Shark Storm airs that night as well and is described as follows: “In the summer of 2024, dozens of cameras capture a rare outbreak of shark attacks along America’s Gulf Coast. Told exclusively through first-hand accounts of victims and eyewitnesses, nobody has seen all these perspectives unfold in real time until now.“
It’s a Week Full of New Shark-Themed Specials
Shark Week continues on July 22 with Great White North Invasion, all about great white sharks who found a new home in Canada. Then, arguably the most important bit of programming, is How to Survive a Shark Attack, where survivor Paul de Gelder will try to be attacked once more by a shark to show how it is possible to survive an attack. The last bit of programming for July 22 is Black Mako of the Abyss, which brings Shark Tagger Keith Poe‘s black mako back into the fold as a group of experts attempt to lure the shark out.
Wendesday, July 23 brings us Expedition Unknown: Shark Files, which is described as follows: “Global adventurer Josh Gates solves some of the strangest and most disturbing shark mysteries of all-time, including the real-life bloody inspiration for the movie Jaws and the gruesome case of the Tiger Shark who vomited an arm while living in captivity and ultimately helped police solve a murder mystery.” The day continues with Expedition X: Malpelo Monster Shark, where Phil Torres and Heather Amaro are sent to track a “legendary monster shark.” The night of shark-filled programs ends with Alien Sharks: Death Down Under, where wildlife biologist Forrest Galante injects himself with shark venom as a dangerous experiment to understand the potency of the venomous Port Jackson Shark and Ghost Shark.
Thursday’s options start with Surviving Jaws. Unpacking how the Steven Spielberg film Jaws tackled shark attacks, marine biologist Tom “Blowfish” Hird, and predator ecologist Michelle Jewell, take a look at what the movie did for audiences and examine how it changed our relationship with the Great White Shark. Caught! Sharks Strike Back is next on Thursday night and looks at some of the wildest shark encounters captured on camera. The final program of the night is Frankenshark, which is “Shark expert Tristan Guttridge and his team use CGI to create the ultimate apex predator. Pulling from a variety of shark species, they build the deadliest, weirdest shark on the planet and put it to the test in a high-stakes showdown against a killer orca.”
You Won’t Want to Miss the Last Two Days of Shark Week
The last two days of Shark Week have some incredible options for fans. Friday, July 25, starts with Great White Reign of Terror, which investigates a shark attack in South Africa that killed two people and is reminiscent of attacks that were similar to Black December in 1957, which led to six people losing their lives to shark attacks. Then, there is Florida’s Death Beach, which is described as follows: “The numbers are in, and once again, Florida – specifically New Smyrna Beach – has earned the title of ‘The Shark Attack Capital of the World,’ accounting for 30% of global shark attacks. But why has the popular spring break party beach become so deadly? Forrest Galante and his team investigate before even more blood ends up in the water.” The final program on July 25 is Bull Shark Showdown, and is a fight between bull sharks from America and Australia to see which is stronger.
The final day of Shark Week starts with Attack of the Devil Shark, exploring the story of a tiger shark that attacked someone in St. Martin and its subsequent attack the next day. Locals believe that it could be the work of the “Devil Shark,” who ruthlessly attacks people swimming there. Then, there is Battle for Shark Mountain, which shows audiences the fight between sharks who hunt the giant trevally fish and what happens when the fish fight back. “Off Mozambique’s coast, sharks swarm a hidden peak, hunting Giant Trevally in a once-a-year feeding frenzy. But when 5,000 Trevally fight back, the hunters become the hunted in one of the ocean’s wildest showdowns.”
Shark Week begins on Discovery on July 20. Stay tuned at Collider for more.