Shark Week Returns July 20 with Jaw-Dropping Lineup
From an unprecedented underwater dance competition to pulse-pounding recreations of terrifying shark attacks, Discovery’s Shark Week delivers epic footage and groundbreaking scientific discoveries during the iconic annual programming event, beginning Sunday, July 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
The week-long celebration of the ocean’s apex predator, which attracted more than 25 million viewers last year, features stories ripped from the headlines of chilling shark encounters, gripping scenes of predation, and fascinating insights and research from renowned experts and scientists.
“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.”
Shark Week will premiere a jaw-dropping 20 hours of new specials, including: Dancing with Sharks, where Emmy Award-winning television personality Tom Bergeron hosts a first-of-its-kind deep-sea dance-off with humans and their shark partners; How to Survive a Shark Attack where audiences will experience real shark attacks up close through a series of never-before-attempted experiments; and the return of fan-favorite special Air Jaws, featuring two teams crossing the globe on a hunt for the biggest breaching sharks in the world.
There’s also a special episode of In the Eye of the Storm, following victims and first responders in real-time as they endure a cluster of shark attacks along Florida’s Gulf Coast; and Expedition Unknown: Shark Files, where host Josh Gates investigates some of the strangest and most disturbing shark mysteries, including the real-life inspiration for the film Jaws.
SHARK WEEK PROGRAMMING SLATE
SUNDAY, JULY 20
“Dancing with Sharks” premieres at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
Hosted by Emmy Award-winning television personality Tom Bergeron, Dancing with Sharks is a competition show unlike any other. For the first time ever, five divers compete to put together an amazing underwater routine with their toothy partners. From hammerheads to tigers and nurse sharks, each shark has its own signature dance moves. At the end of the show, a winner is crowned – if all the competitors make it that far.
“Air Jaws: The Hunt for Colossus” premieres at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
A 20-foot great white breaches in New Zealand, sparking a hunt for Colossus – the legendary flying shark who went missing 10 years ago from South Africa’s waters. Could he still be alive and lead researchers to a secret colony of lost great whites?
“Great White Assassins” premieres at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
Shark expert Alison Towner teams up with Shark Week legend Dickie Chivell to decode how killer whales take down great whites with ease. To get answers, the team travels to New Zealand and goes to the extreme, sending Dickie underwater posed as an orca to see how the great whites react.
MONDAY, JULY 21
“Great White Sex Battle” premieres at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
In a Shark Week first, male and female great white sharks compete in a series of challenges to determine which sex is the superior predator in the waters off the coast of New Zealand.
“Jaws vs Mega Croc” premieres at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
Using data gathered in new experiments, Tristan Guttridge, Rosie Moore, and Dr. Sora Kim construct a CGI fight to the death between two of the biggest and baddest apex predators in the water – the Great White Shark and Nile Crocodile.
“In the Eye of the Storm: Shark Storm” premieres at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
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.
TUESDAY, JULY 22
“Great White Northern Invasion” premieres at 8 P.M. ET/PT on Discovery
Great white sharks have found a new home off the shores of Nova Scotia, Canada. With the waters now frothing with great whites, interactions with humans are on the rise. A team of scientists tracks down and tags the biggest sharks to uncover the sharkiest locations before there’s a fatal attack.
“How to Survive a Shark Attack” premieres at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
Shark attack survivor Paul de Gelder attempts the unthinkable – getting attacked by a shark, again. Under the supervision of experts, Paul provokes sharks to attack him in multiple scenarios, where they bite and tear off prosthetic limbs to teach life-saving tactics for surviving an encounter with nature’s deadliest predators.
“Black Mako of the Abyss” premieres at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
When Shark Tagger Keith Poe saw the shark for the first time, he knew it was different. It was aggressive, 13 feet long, and had very dark skin. Now, a group of experts lure the beast up from the abyss to determine if the creature is a mako, or mutant, or possibly a mako and great white hybrid.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 23
“Expedition Unknown: Shark Files” premieres at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
Global adventurer Josh Gates solves some of the strangest and most disturbing mysteries of all time, including the real-life bloody inspiration for the movie Jaws and the gruesome case of the Tiger Shark that vomited an arm while living in captivity and ultimately helped police solve a murder mystery.
“Expedition X: Malpelo Monster Shark” premieres at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
Josh Gates sends Phil Torres and Heather Amaro on their most perilous mission yet – tracking a legendary monster shark that lurks in the eerie waters of Malpelo Island, 300 miles off Colombia’s coast. After terrifying footage of this monster is brought to Josh, he sends his fearless team deep into the ocean to unmask the true identity of this 20-foot-long predator.
“Alien Sharks: Death Down Under” premieres at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
Wildlife biologist Forrest Galante injects himself with shark venom after diving down under into Australia’s dangerous waters, home to some of the weirdest, alien-like, and deadly sharks. He hopes this risky and potentially lethal experiment will bypass years of red tape to finally discover the potency of the venomous Port Jackson Shark and Ghost Shark.
THURSDAY, JULY 24
“Surviving Jaws” premieres at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
Fifty years ago, Jaws changed the beachgoing experience forever, striking fear into millions of Americans who vowed to never go in the water again. Now, marine biologist Tom “Blowfish” Hird and predator ecologist Michelle Jewell re-examine the movie and dive with Great Whites to separate fact from fiction, answering questions like: Does skinny dipping really attract great white sharks? Could a monster shark chew through a boat’s hull?
“Caught! Sharks Strike Back” premieres at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
This year has set a record for shark encounters captured on camera, from a hilarious moment when a shark slaps a fisherman in the face to the intense 10 minutes a great white stalked a kayaker… these are the craziest moments of when sharks strike back.
“Frankenshark” premieres at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
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.
FRIDAY, JULY 25
“Great White Reign of Terror” premieres at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
In South Africa, two people are killed by great whites near the Eastern Cape, an area that hasn’t seen an attack in decades. Scientists worry it could be the start of a series of attacks eerily similar to Black December in 1957, when six people lost their lives. Ryan Johnson, Gibbs Kuguru, and Andy Casagrande head out to investigate the cause behind the spike in attacks before there’s another fatality.
“Florida’s Death Beach” premieres at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
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.
“Bull Shark Showdown” premieres at 1 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
The most vicious and insane populations of bull sharks from Australia and America face off in a no-holds-barred showdown beneath the water. Bull Shark-attack survivor Paul de Gelder contends that his Aussie sharks are the toughest, while American shark biologist Dr. Craig O’Connell attempts to find the meanest sharks Florida has to offer to take the crown.
SATURDAY, JULY 26
“Attack of the Devil Shark” premieres at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
A rogue Tiger Shark attacks and kills a person in St. Martin. Weeks later, it strikes again. Locals fear it could be the work of the legendary Devil Shark – a massive and ruthless tiger shark who’s haunted their shores for decades. When a team sets out to track down the shark responsible for the attacks, they uncover a seismic force that may be triggering aggression in sharks.
“Battle for Shark Mountain” premieres at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery
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.
