Yesterday marked the start of one of my favourite weeks of all time: Shark Week! As a lover of sharks (this is an understatement), I really look forward to Discovery Channel’s annual programming (another understatement). My favourite types of Shark Week shows are the ones that do something unique or teach me something new, so I’m really hoping to see shows like that this year. Although some of the shows about surviving shark attacks are interesting, I think that at this point they are overdone. And given that so many shark species are endangered, I think that kind of fear mongering isn’t entirely appropriate anymore. Instead, I prefer when the Discovery channel programming strives to educate viewers about sharks and ocean conservation. Given current issues surrounding climate change and single use plastics polluting the oceans, I am really hoping that this year’s programming draws attention to how these issues affect sharks.
Expedition Unknown: Megalodon: Years ago, I saw a Shark Week show that looked at prehistoric sharks, so I’m really happy there’s another show that looks at sharks from more of an archaeological perspective. Host Josh Gates is funny and entertaining in this unique and educational program. And given the presence of megalodons in popular culture thanks to previous Shark Weeks and films like The Meg, it is certainly an obvious choice to feature such a popular and well-known prehistoric beast. Additionally, I am pleased that the purpose of this show is to uncover facts about megalodons and what led to their extinction, given how much misinformation is out there about them.
Shark Trip: Eat, Prey, Chum: Based on the promotional material on social media, I couldn’t tell if this would be more of a traditional, yet silly, Shark Week special, or a shark-themed “guys trip” tv movie. It ended up being a bit of both, and it was much better than I expected it would be. This was actually kind of a sequel to last year’s Shaq Shark Week special, and was funny while still featuring some shark science. Staring Rob Riggle, Anthony Anderson, Adam DeVine, Joel McHale, and Damon Wayans Jr., this comedic take on a Discovery special also featured scientists and Shark Week regulars as the team tried to track down and tag the elusive Zoey the tiger shark.
Shark After Dark: Throughout the years, this show has gone through a number of style changes and host changes – some years it is good, and some years it is bad. This year Rob Riggle is the host and, although it is still early in the week, so far things seem to be going well with this year’s installment. Guests included Adam DeVine, Joel McHale, and Paul de Gelder, among others. And Bob The Shark is back as well! Unfortunately, this is no longer a half hour program. Since Shark After Dark is now an hour long and keeps Shark Week going until midnight, I can’t justify staying up that late when I have to work the next day. I was only able to make it half way through the episode before I had to call it a night. Although I was looking forward to seeing the interviews and shenanigans that are typical to this show, I think I’m going to have to skip the remaining Shark After Dark shows this year.
