Shark Week is back, and it’s as filled with compound titles and Jaws references as ever. As always, it’s sure to be full of High-Definition videos and low-quality puns in a perfect contrast of beauty and ham.
Sure, it can be corny. But it’s full of sharks and there’s even potential to learn something new about our favourite fish.
In our quick Shark Week primer, we take a look at the official schedule to let you know what’s on, and what’s worth watching.
Day 1: Sunday, July 28th
Expedition Unknown: Megalodon
8 pm ET
They’re kicking off Shark Week with everyone’s favourite extinct shark, the Megalodon. Despite what you may have seen in The Meg and past seasons of Shark Week, the megalodon is almost definitely gone from this world.
So they brought in - what we’re just going to go ahead and call - the experts. The Host, Josh Gates, was once the host of Destination Truth. A show where he tried to find ghosts, bigfoot, and all sorts of cryptids.
The good news is that this means he knows how to make not finding something entertaining.
It seems the show is going to be mostly about looking at megalodon teeth and trying to determine why and when they went extinct. In between, Josh will be trying to add levity and suspense.
Is It Worth Watching?
Maybe. We like the host and the possibility of learning something new about the megalodon always catches our interest. But there’s definitely a high chance of this regurgitating the same old theories and using a lot of low-quality CGI. We’ll hope for the best.
Shark Trip: Eat. Prey. Chum.
9 pm ET
Shark Week likes to kick off with some serious celebrity power. In the past, we’ve seen the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Phelps. This year they went all out to get…Rob Riggle - a guy we had to look up. Turns out, he’s the guy you recognize from some things, like that scene in Arrested Development and re-runs of The Daily Show.
Anyway, the movie is apparently about trying to get a Shark Week movie made. The deal is he has to take his friends out and get them to swim with sharks to get the movie on Shark Week. I don’t want to give any spoilers: but the movie is being shown on Shark Week, so it looks like his friends swim with the sharks.
Is It Worth Watching?
Are you nostalgic about not very long ago? With a name playing off of Eat Pray Love (a 2006 book and 2010 movie) and a cast of celebrities from the same era, you’ll probably get that. It doesn’t seem like the kind of movie that’ll really be about the sharks. But at least there’ll be a bunch of people you kind of recognize. “Hey, wasn’t that one guy from Community? That show got sloppy.”
Day 2: Monday, July 29th
Sharks of The Badlands
8 pm ET
Record numbers of Great White Sharks have been showing up off the coast of Cape Cod. As much as the media is trying to play this up as real-life Jaws, that’s not quite the case. But there is some potential for an interesting doc.
It’s not just Cape Cod, great whites have been showing up in unexpected places more often over these past couple years. And while there are some good theories on why proving them is going to take some serious examination.
Although, it looks like this may be more about the new technology they’re using to detect sharks. Still, there’s potential for this one to be interesting. Hopefully plenty of new great white footage.
Is It Worth Watching?
This is another maybe. We’re interested in seeing what the new tech is, and we’ll never fight against more great white footage. But there seems a high likelihood that they’ll be overplaying the Jaws angle, trying to make a cool situation into a scary one.
Legend of Deep Blue
9 pm ET
Remember last year’s documentary about Deep Blue, the giant great white? Well, Shark Week has never really been much for changing things up. And this time, we’re not complaining.
At over 20 feet long, Deep Blue may be the largest shark on record. She’s about 25% larger than the average female great white and believed to be at least 50 years old.
Along with Deep Blue, they’ve discovered a number of oversized great whites hanging out in the deep sea. And there remains some question as to how they’re reaching these sizes and what they’re up to down there.
Is It Worth Watching
Sure looks like it. Great white sharks? Check. Giant great white sharks? Bigger check. Mystery? Check. Chances of getting an answer to that mystery - pretty slim. Still, we’ll probably see a bunch of footage of giant sharks, and may actually learn something here. I’m on board with Blue.
The Sharks of Headstone Hell
10 pm ET
More big sharks = more happy viewers. The Sharks of Headstone Hell is about Norfolk Island. It’s a tiny island in the South Pacific where the townspeople feed fully grown cows to the sharks. And these big buffets seem to be doing their job, this area sees some of the largest tiger sharks on record.
This documentary looks into the effect this feeding is having on the sharks. Some people are claiming that these actions are leading to shark attacks in places where they don’t feed the sharks. On the other hand, some people credit this as the reason why Norfolk Island, despite being home to a high number of sharks, has zero fatal attacks.
Granted, there are a lot of factors going on. For instance, the island has strict overfishing regulations. This helps not only make the fishing they rely on more sustainable, but also prevents the sharks from going hungry.
Is It Worth Watching?
Based on where it is alone, this could be a cool one. The island sees some seriously big sharks, and there is a lot of variety. Add on top of that the likelihood of some feeding frenzies, and this should be a good watch.
Day 3: Tuesday, July 30th
Sharkwrecked: Crash Landing
8 pm ET
In short, they’re doing it again. Last year, Shark Week featured two people attempting to recreate the experience of the sinking of USS Indianapolis. It’s a ship that went down during WW2 and the oceanic whitetips that live there are supposedly responsible for hundreds of deaths during the war. These guys set themselves adrift in whitetip waters and see how the sharks react.
And now, they’re doing it again. This time they’re jumping out of a plane (fun) to simulate a crash landing (gasp).
It seems likely to be a bit fear-mongering. But set in Palau, there’s bound to be some beautiful scenery and bountiful sea life.
Is It Worth Watching?
If you’re a survival junkie, this one might be for you. There will probably a bit of an exaggeration on the danger from the sharks. Although, the grey reef sharks in the area can be a little more aggressive in the open waters.
Laws of Jaws: Dangerous Waters
9 pm ET
Another shark-attack focused show for the day. The Laws of Jaws is back and they’re reenacting recent shark attacks to see how they could have happened differently.
They’ll be performing experiments and trying to determine what causes shark attacks, and what to do in different situations.
Is It Worth Watching?
Hard to say.
Air Jaws Strikes Back
10 pm ET
They’re doing another Air Jaws that’s just good news for everyone. Chris Fallows and his team are going to yet another great white shark feeding ground.
They’re there under the guise of something something something science. But let’s be real this one is all about getting footage of great whites leaping out of the water while hunting seals. Which is good enough reason for us.
Is It Worth Watching?
Yes. Sure, filming great whites breaching isn’t a new or groundbreaking idea. But it doesn’t need to be. Because it’s awesome. It’s a sight we’ll never get tired of.
Day 4: Wednesday, July 31st
Extinct or Alive: The Lost Shark
8 pm ET
Can animal tracker, Forrest Galante, get the Pondicherry shark removed from the extinct species list? The species hasn’t been seen in half a century, but recent reports may be good news.
They’re taking 3D scanning equipment and genetic testing gear to try and find a remaining Pondicherry shark, and show that this species of shark is not yet gone from the world.
This relative of the reef shark was widespread and could live in a number of environments and can even enter freshwater. So it’s possible that this reef shark relative is still tucked away somewhere. Of course, if there was a big discovery you’d expect to show up at the beginning or end of Shark Week instead of the middle.
Is It Worth Watching
Probably. Granted, the Pondicherry shark isn’t technically classified as extinct. Instead, it’s labelled as critically endangered (and possibly extinct). Still, it’s on the 25 “Most Wanted” list from the Global Wildlife Conservation.
The search is supposed to take us through underwater caves, jungle forests, and coral reefs, so if nothing else there should be some cool scenery.
Capsized: Blood in the Water
9 pm ET
Yet another story about a boat capsizing and people having to survive in shark-infested waters.
Is It Worth Watching?
Only if you love midweek filler. We might leave the PVR off for this one.
Day 5: Thursday, August 1st
Return to Shark Island
8 pm ET
If that title sounds familiar, it’s because that was the title of another movie, about another thing. This Return takes a look at changing shark behaviours near a small island.
Shark attacks have risen in this area, and the once rare (in this location) bull shark is now common. The doc looks at what’s happening, why it’s happening, and what can be done.
Is It Worth Watching?
We’ll give this one a maybe. Because maybe it will.
Great White Kill Zone: Guadalupe
9 pm ET
In Southern California, you can take a day trip out to Guadalupe to see the great white sharks. It’s a place where seals congregate, making it a perfect target for the great whites. So naturally, it’s believed that the reason these sharks show up here is to feed on the seals.
And yet, in Guadalupe, researchers have never been able to find a kill zone. In fact, they’ve never even witnessed an attack. What’s even stranger is that the waters here are crystal clear.
This documentary is hoping to discover new great white hunting behaviours and techniques.
Is It Worth Watching
This could be good. The clear waters should make for some impressive footage of the great whites - what Jesselnik calls, “ The Champagne of Sharks.”
Plus, if they actually succeed in finding new hunting behaviours, this could be pretty cool.
Monster Mako: The Perfect Predator
10 pm ET
As we discussed in What Shark is Your Myers-Briggs Personality the mako shark has the highest brain to body ratio of any shark. They have a reputation as one of the most intelligent sharks. And on top of that, they’re absolute speed demons, clocking in at nearly 70 kmph.
Monster Mako is seeking out the Grander Mako, the largest and rarest mako shark. If you enjoyed Deep Blue Sea as much as we did, you’re pretty amped to see some giant makos.
Granted, the grander Mako isn’t big enough to swallow Samuel L. Jackson whole. But they’re big enough to make LL Cool J look twice.
Most of this show looks like it’ll be looking back at the past two Monster Mako films, but there’s a promise of new footage.
Is It Worth Watching?
It should be. To be honest, we’ll probably be some fast-forwarding through most of the recapping. But we’re excited to see some new footage of this genuinely impressive animal.
Day 6: Friday, August 2nd
Isle of Jaws: Blood Brothers
8 pm ET
For all the badass names marine biologists come up with for animals — ex. the demon whale-biter shark — you’d expect them to have more creative movie names. And yet, it seems like 1 in 3 Shark Week shows is either Jaws: Something Something or Something Something: The Jaws Something.
Let’s be real, we know Jaws was a hit. But I think we can start moving on from naming everything after it.
Still, this doc has an interesting premise. They follow two great white brothers to try and find out if they prefer to hunt live and hunt with family. Sure it’s not enough data to make a conclusive statement, but you have to start somewhere. And it’s a cool idea that could help change the narrative and stigma that follows this species around.
Is It Worth Watching?
Sure, the name sounds like Steven Spielberg decided to direct a Jaws themed Rambo movie that he didn’t work very hard on. But, we like the idea behind this one, and having videos of great white sharks is always a plus.
Andrews Mayne: Ghost Diver
9 pm ET
Take a look at the picture below before we talk about this one.
That is fantastic. It looks like a villain straight out of the low-budget live-action Japanese Spiderman show. And we couldn’t be happier.
Sadly, that’s not a giant city-crushing mecha bot. It’s magician/illusionist Andrew Mayne. He’s trying to build a suit that will keep him hidden from the incredible senses of a great white shark.
Is It Worth Watching?
For the suit alone, yes. Contentwise it’s hard to say. While the suit may help to shield from the great white’s impressive sense of smell and some of its other tools, they also have really good vision. And this suit sticks out like a sore thumb. We’ll be interested to see how that is accounted for.
I Was Prey: Shark Week
10 pm ET
Most of the time the “I Survived!” style attack-recreation videos aren’t that great. They’re also usually more or less the same.
Is It Worth Watching?
If you’ve ever seen this style of show, you can probably recreate this in your head with almost word-for-word accuracy.
Day 7: Saturday, August 3rd
Sharks Gone Wild 2
8 pm ET
Keep your pants on furries (scaleys?) this one is definitely PG. It’s just a yearly recap on all things shark.
“Viral” videos, news stories, and new technology. If this is your thing, it’s your thing.
Is It Worth Watching?
If you’ve ever opened any shark article on Chrome, your Google News Feed has probably sent you everything there is to see here. And it probably sent it to you about a hundred time, Google News has some kinks to work out.
But if your year has been a dull sharkless blight, then this may be a program for you.
Parental warning: this will probably heavily feature “Baby Shark,” so prepare to have that stuck in your head again.
Shark Week Immersion
9 pm ET
The release says that this film is taking iconic shark moments and bringing them to real life. It sounds like something that would have been better handled by Mythbusters.
Is It Worth Watching
Saturday is starting to look like another filler day. The Good news is, you can take the night off to party.
Day 8: Sunday, August 4th
Best of Shark Week
4 pm ET - All Day
Now they’re just showing all the top videos from the rest of the week. If that feels like a copout, just remember, a week is 7 days - they filled their obligation. Instead, this is your chance to binge-watch Shark Week, Netflix style.
It’s also a good chance to PVR anything you forgot earlier in the week.
Is It Worth Watching
I mean, if you missed something and want to see it - then yes. Or if you get nostalgic at an advanced rate, this is your chance to fill that void within.
Shark Week 2019 Overview
Yes, Shark Week is back and it’s not bigger than ever. But hey, last year was the 30th anniversary, and this is Shark Week 31. Did you pull out all the stops on your 31st birthday? That’s like having a sweet 17.
Straight up, it looks like there’s good, there’s bad, and there are some real toss-ups. All-in-all, there’s a good variety of content and should be something there for anyone with an interest in sharks.