Shark Week, happening July 11-18 on Discovery and Discovery Plus, offers 45 hours of shark programming, the most in the summer event’s 33 years.
Shark Academy premieres Sunday, July 11 on Discovery Plus, as does Josh Gates Tonight. Air Jaws: Going For Gold, about the highest shark breach ever recorded, is on Discovery July 12. Great White Comeback, about great whites disappearing in South Africa, is on Discovery Plus July 13.
“Great whites are such the stars of Shark Week,” said Howard Swartz, senior VP of documentaries and specials/factual networks and streaming, Discovery.
MotherSharker, about where tiger sharks give birth, premieres on Discovery July 13.
Both Discovery and Discovery Plus will feature shark movie festivals, the streaming network offering the Sharknado movies, among others, and starting July 1. Beginning July 10, Discovery will air various Jaws movies along with Animal Planet.
Shark Week features two documentaries, both on Discovery Plus. Envoy: Shark Cull, narrated by Eric Bana and gathering big names in ocean conservation to share about the importance of sharks in our oceans, premieres July 1.
Director Eli Roth is behind Fin, which sees him and a group of scientists, researchers and activists sail around the globe to investigate the millions of shark deaths, exposing a criminal enterprise. That premieres July 13. Leonardo DiCaprio, Nina Dobrev and Craig Piligian are executive producers.
Celebrities jumping into the water for Shark Week programming include Tiffany Haddish, Brad Paisley, Noah Schnapp, William Shatner, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Sandra Lee of Dr. Pimple Popper fame, and the Jackass cast, including Johnny Knoxville.
Discovery is promoting Shark Week with a blimp. The airship takes off from Nashville in early July and travels up and down the East Coast through July 20.
