If this summer’s crowded beaches in the face of the mounting cases of COVID-19 triggered parallels to the movie Jaws, you have been hyped up for Shark Week all July. That is if you weren’t already eagerly anticipating what the late Steve Irwin once excitedly referred to as “the most DANGEROUS week on television.”
Recalling the film’s looming threat and the political battle to keep the beaches closed was inevitable for shark fans. Along with oceanographer Matt Hooper’s admiration and respect for the misunderstood, but deadly creatures, it’s like smelling blood in the water when it comes to the annual Discovery Channel franchise.
It was almost too much to take when rumors began to circulate that Shark Week was canceled this year. Thankfully, the rumors are false. Shark Week is back and bigger than ever before. Here is the whole Shark Week 2020 schedule along with some early unlocked content that you can sink your teeth into right now.
Shark Week 2020 Starts Sunday
This Sunday, August 9 at 8 pm Shark Week officially begins with its first three-hour block of shark focused entertainment. The annual event ends on Sunday, August 16 with a Naked & Afraid of Sharks 2, a two-hour Shark focused event about survival on a remote island chain called Shark Alley. Shark Week 2020 is bigger than ever with more science and joined by stars including Will Smith, Mike Tyson, and Shaquille O’Neal. You can tune in to the Discovery Channel every night from 8 pm to 11 pm for a nonstop Shark frenzy. Plus, get an extra hour on Friday and Saturday night.
Discovery Channel Shark Week 2020 Dates
The Complete 2020 Shark Week Schedule
SUNDAY 8/9
Air Jaws: Ultimate Breach Off displays stunning footage of aerial sharks as scientists gather data on the shark population in one of the last hunting grounds. The show is followed by Tyson VS. Jaws: Rumble on the Reef and Shark Lockdown, a show that discovers new hunting patterns of the largest Great Whites dubbed 747s.
MONDAY 8/10
Night two of Shark Week brings us ShaqAttack, a show that invites Youtube celebrities Mark Rober and Dude Perfect to help the NBA legend determine which sharks have the perfect attack. The 9:00 airing comes between Abandoned Waters and Jaws Awakens. The former details an unprecedented look at shark behavior free of human interference in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Jaws Awakens, a team of shark experts tracks down the world’s largest male Great White.
TUESDAY 8/11
August 11 begins with Extinct Or Alive: Land of Lost Sharks. This chronicles a harrowing search for three unique shark species forgotten by science for nearly a century. Will Smith confronts his fear of the deep in Will Smith Off the Deep End and Great White Serial Killer Extinction captures one of Shark Week’s most spectacular attacks of all time while observing the threat of Great White Sharks to the California Sea Otter population.
WEDNESDAY 8/12
At 8 pm Monsters Under the Bridge showcases the search for Big Moe. The monster is a legendary Hammerhead said to weigh half a ton and measure 15 feet. Tiger Sharks get the spotlight in Adam Devine’s Secret Shark Lair at 9. At 10, Great White Double Trouble observes two Great White Shark populations near Australia. There, Great Whites lead the rise in recent Shark attacks.
THURSDAY 8/13
Air Jaws 2020 recounts iconic moments from Air Jaws. Snoop Dog breaks down crazy Shark encounters caught on tape in Sharkadelic Summer. The show focuses on the Great White populations surrounding the US. at 10, Makos have their due with Mako Nation.
FRIDAY 8/14
Alien Sharks: First Contact kicks off the first four-hour block of content in Shark Week 2020. Lair of the Great White comes next followed by Tiger Shark King which explores the mystery of a real attack on a 14 foot Tiger Shark by an unknown predator in the Caribbean. Tiger Shark King has been unlocked early and you can watch it now on Go.Discovery.com along with eight other unlocked clips and episodes. Just before bedtime, the Friday night block wraps up with I Was Prey. It’s a reflection on horrifying Bull Shark attacks on two adventurers during a nightmarish Australian spearfishing expedition.
SATURDAY 8/15
Saturday night wraps up the beginning of the end of Shark Week with another installment of I Was Prey. It follows sensational programs Sharks of Ghost Island, Wicked Sharks, and Sharks Gone Wild 3. The evening covers locations such as the Bermuda Triangle and Cape Cod. Then, changes things up with some viral video footage and cutting edge shark science.
Shark Week 2020 covers everything but the science behind the fiction of Sharknado 6. Leave a comment on your favorite shark/show and visit Discovery.com for the latest stories, Shark Week inspired recipes, and merchandise.