Discovery bites back with Shark Week 2026
For the 38th consecutive year, Discovery is devoting seven days of primetime programming to Shark Week. As always, the offerings are eclectic and fascinating. Here’s what’s coming up during the 2026 edition of Shark Week.
K-Pop Shark Heroes
After a recent series of shark encounters off the Korean Peninsula, actor and comedian Ken Jeong joins forces with singer and shark aficionado REI AMI on a mission to reshape the perception of sharks across East Asia and around the globe — all fuelled by the power of K-Pop music. SUNDAY AT 5 P.M. & 8 P.M.
Air Jaws: Red, White and Breach
Across the California coastline, a new phenomenon is emerging as great white sharks are captured on film breaching like never before. Filmmaker Jeff Kurr, marine biologist Alison Towner and cinematographer Andy Casagrande set out to capture this unprecedented behaviour. SUNDAY AT 6 P.M. & 9 P.M.
Invasion of the Mega Sharks
Shark researcher Dr. Neil Hammerschlag, joined by Shark Week expert Paul de Gelder, leads a team on a high-risk mission to track down “Big Rose,” a record-breaking great white believed to be one of largest predators in the North Atlantic. Using innovative tagging technology and daring field operations, they venture to a newly discovered shark hotspot off Nova Scotia aiming to transform our understanding of these ocean giants. SUNDAY AT 7 P.M. & 10 P.M.
Bull Shark Dinner Bell
Shark attack survivor and advocate Paul de Gelder teams up with apex predator specialist Rosie Moore in Jupiter, Florida, to investigate what triggers giant bull sharks to confront humans, testing human behaviour in the ocean, extreme weather events and prey preferences to determine what factors ring the loudest dinner bell. MONDAY AT 5 P.M. & 8 P.M.
House of Sharks
Off the coast of New Zealand lies a hidden shark battleground, where three distinct groups of great whites organize into competing “houses” and may be competing with one another to gain control of a major seal feeding ground. Marine biologist Dr. Tristan Guttridge and underwater cinematographer Kina Scollay venture into the middle of the action on an epic expedition, using brand new builds and massive blood bombs to document this new competitive behaviour. As they investigate, they uncover the possibility that these clans of great whites recognize kin and return season after season to their ancestral territories, raising the theory that these predators aren’t solitary hunters, but rival dynasties at war. MONDAY AT 6 P.M. & 9 P.M.
Biggest Mako on Earth
For decades, rumours have swirled about massive, 15 to 20-foot mako sharks patrolling the deep waters off Southern California. Long dismissed as fishermen’s tales, new footage — along with a recently published photo capturing a mako that appears to push 15 feet — is now forcing scientists to rethink everything they know about these oceanic apex predators. Marine biologist Dr. Tristan Guttridge, alongside conservationist Kendyl Berna and shark tagger Keith Poe, leads an investigation to determine whether the world’s biggest mako is real — and hunting in the coastal waters of Santa Catalina. MONDAY AT 7 P.M. & 10 P.M.
Jurassic Sharks
In a Shark Week first, revolutionary CGI resurrects the ocean’s most bizarre Jurassic sharks, bringing them to life like never before. Guided by the rare living sharks that once shared their seas, real-world expeditions seamlessly merge with cutting-edge visual effects to uncover stories from the deep and prehistoric seas in ways never before possible. TUESDAY AT 5 P.M. & 8 P.M.
Jaws vs Orca
For millennia, the great white shark has reigned as the ocean’s ultimate apex predator. But now, a new challenger is emerging: the killer whale. Around the world, sharks are washing ashore with their livers removed with chilling precision while in the Strait of Gibraltar, orcas are targeting sailboats — ramming hulls, crippling rudders and sinking vessels. To investigate this alarming shift in behaviour, Dr. Tristan Guttridge places himself directly in the path of an orca encounter, using their attacks on boats to reveal how these predators hunt and ultimately, how they may be taking down great white sharks. TUESDAY AT 6 P.M. & 9 P.M.
Expedition X: Atomic Sharks
Phil Torres and Heather Amaro travel 5,000 miles west of the U.S. to the remote Marshall Islands, home to the world’s largest shark sanctuary, where apex predators are exhibiting highly aggressive behaviours and erratic swimming patterns. Between 1946 and 1958, the United States military detonated 67 nuclear bombs around the island, raising questions about their lasting impact on marine life. Now, the team dives into these dangerous waters to investigate reports of “mutant” sharks and uncover whether atomic blasts could be to blame. WEDNESDAY AT 5 P.M. & 8 P.M.
Expedition Unknown: Shark Secrets
Global explorer Josh Gates travels back in time and dives into the history behind some of the world’s most infamous shark encounters, from the earliest known shark attack to the mystery surrounding the shark feeding frenzy faced by sailors following the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in remote waters. He also investigates the legendary “Stronsay Beast,” a mysterious creature that washed ashore in Scotland in 1808, long thought to be a sea monster. But could it in fact be the remains of a massive shark? WEDNESDAY AT 6 P.M. & 9 P.M.
Alien Sharks: Untamed America
In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, wildlife biologist Forrest Galante embarks on a quest to find the nation’s most bizarre and dangerous alien sharks — from glowing swell sharks to elusive sawfish. A highlight finds Galante diving into 300-foot-deep waters off the coast of New England, bolstered by the use of drone and spotter plane surveillance, as he swims alongside the elusive and massive basking shark. WEDNESDAY AT 7 P.M. & 10 P.M.
What Shark Attacked?
Shark attacks are extremely rare, but when they happen, the first question is always the same: what kind of shark was it? Leading shark scientists Tom “Blowfish” Hird and Rosie Moore, alongside conservationist Kinga Philipps, investigate mysterious attacks from around the world using cutting-edge forensic analysis — including bite pattern comparison, geographic profiling, video evidence, and eyewitness testimony — to identify the species responsible and uncover why these life-threatening encounters occur. Hird is quick to point out that while shark attacks are rare, when they do occur they can be devastating. “Let’s be very crystal clear here: if a bull shark, or a tiger, or a great white did want to prey on a human, there would be no body.” THURSDAY AT 5 P.M. & 8 P.M.
How to Train a Great White
Marine biologist Dr. Tristan Guttridge ventures into the shark-infested waters of New Zealand to answer a provocative question: can sharks be trained? Using techniques pioneered by the U.S. Navy to train dolphins in complex cognitive tasks, the team applies similar methods to great white sharks, testing whether these apex predators can learn, solve problems and respond to cues. If successful, the experiment can potentially redefine shark intelligence and transform our understanding of one of the ocean’s most misunderstood predators. Interviewed about the new special, Guttridge emphasizes the importance of using state-of-the-art diving gear. “Working with sharks in dynamic environments it is critical to have gear you can rely on that keeps you safe,” he says. THURSDAY AT 6 P.M. & 9 P.M.
Ultimate Shark Dive
World-class high diver Molly Carlson leaps from a helicopter hovering above the open ocean in a bid to complete the highest free-fall dive in Shark Week history, targeting a narrow plexiglass cage surrounded by circling reef sharks, or risking a direct plunge into a chum-filled feeding frenzy where seconds mean survival. From concept to execution, this fearless athlete will push herself to the limit with a record-setting stunt that no high diver has ever attempted. THURSDAY AT 7 P.M. & 10 P.M.
Sharkzilla Takes New York
After a wave of mauled marine life washes ashore in New York, conservation biologist Dr. Craig O’Connell launches an investigation to find the culprit. When it leads to an old nuclear dumping ground teeming with great whites and makos, he is left with the chilling theory that the predator may be radioactive. A deeper dive reveals an unexpected hotspot for massive makos off the coast of the Hamptons, suggesting that these waters may be hiding something even bigger beneath the surface. FRIDAY AT 6 P.M. & 9 P.M.
My Strange Shark Addiction
How far will people go to fuel their fascination with sharks? For four devoted shark “fin-atics,” their obsession shapes every aspect of their lives, and their love for sharks goes way deeper than claiming a favorite animal. The special introduces a dentist who spends every spare moment searching for life-size shark replicas — and yes, that dentist’s home is overwhelmed by a model shark collection. Additionally, viewers will meet a woman who insists she has a special connection with her shark “boyfriend.” Beyond that, there’s also a world-record holder covered in shark tattoos. All told, this special explores how their daily routines, relationships and finances revolve entirely these apex predators. FRIDAY AT 7 P.M. & 10 P.M.
Great White Highway
Great white sharks are pushing farther up the East coast than ever before and in far greater numbers leading to close encounters, forcing beach closures, and leaving locals wondering where the next attack could happen. Now, a daring team of shark scientists race to install high-tech receivers and tag as many great whites as possible before another harrowing incident rocks the country. SATURDAY. AUGUST 1 AT 5 P.M. & 8 P.M.
Thresher Shark: Stun to Kill
The physics behind the thresher shark’s devastating tail strike has long remained a mystery —until now. For the first time ever, the discovery of a shallow-water feeding ground has made observing this behaviour possible. Now, shark scientist Dr. Craig O’Connell and marine biologist Aliah Banchik dive into the direct line of fire as they attempt to reveal exactly how these predators use their tails to stun and kill. SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 AT 6 P.M. & 9 P.M.