Reality bites as ‘Shark Week’ returns for its 34th year

It’s that time again.

“Shark Week” returns to Discovery Channel on Sunday with a full slate of special programming featuring scientists, explorers and celebrities — including Tracy Morgan and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who’s the week’s first-ever Master of Ceremonies.

It’s the 34th year for the trailblazing franchise that’s educated, informed and, at times, scared the bejesus out of viewers fascinated with these cold-blooded predators of the deep.

Without further ado, here’s a look at the “Shark Week” specials airing on Discovery Channel (and streaming on discovery+) through Saturday, July 30.

Sunday:
“Return to Headstone Hell” (7 p.m. on Discovery) Dr. Riley Elliott returns to Norfolk Island with underwater cinematographer Kina Scollay to see what happens when tiger sharks go head-to-head with migrating whites.

“Great White Battleground” (8 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). Michelle Jewell heads to South Africa to watch great white sharks perform their signature aerial attacks — and decipher their secret language.

“Jackass Shark Week 2.0” (9 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). Johnny Knoxville joins his “Jackass” crew at they try to get their friend Poopies over his fear of sharks.

“Great White Open Ocean” (10:30 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). Shark diving expert Jimi Partington, who nearly died in the jaws of a great white in 2020, tries to overcome his PTSD and get back in the water with the ocean’s biggest mega-sharks.

The crew from "Jackass." They're on a boatg in the water and smiling for the camera.
The crew from “Jackass” tries to help their pal Poopies conquer his fear of sharks.
Tito Herrera / All rights reserv

Monday:

“Stranger Sharks” (7 p.m. on Discovery). Mark Rober and “Stranger Things” star Noah Schnapp team up to explore abandoned undersea ruins and man-made artificial reefs searching for strange sharks.

“Air Jaws: Top Guns” (8 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). Dickie Chivell and Andy Casagrande use high-tech cameras hoping to catch the largest breaching of great whites sharks ever seen.

“Great White Serial Kill: Fatal Christmas” (9 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). Shark attack investigators Ralph Collier and Brandon McMillan use forensic evidence and eyewitness accounts to piece together the death of a surfer off Morro Bay, Calif. — and the suspected killer, an 18-foot great white.

“Rise of the Monster Hammerheads” (10 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). Dr. Tristan Guttridge and Andy Casagrande investigate reports of hammerheads Big Moe in the Florida Keys and Sunken in the Bahamas.

“Mega Predators of Oz” (11 p.m. on Discovery). Tracking how a great white could have been responsible for a half-eaten mako found in South Australia.

Tuesday:

“Extinct or Alive Jaws of Alaska” (7 p.m. on Discovery). Wildlife biologist Forrest Galante travels the world in search of rare and elusive wildlife, including those lost to science and mysterious cold-water sharks.

“Impractical Jokers Shark Week Spectacular” (8 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). The stars of TBS’ “Impractical Jokers” try to dispel the myth that sharks are man-eating beasts — with mortifying challenges and dares.

Photo of three of the "Impractical Jokers" sitting on the steps of a beach house. They're all wearing shorts and smiling.
The stars of TBS’ “Impractical Jokers” are featured in a “Shark Week Spectacular.”
Tito Herrera / Getty Images

“Jaws vs. Kraken” (9 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). Dr. Tristan Guttridge travels to Guadalupe Island to try to glimpse a battle between giant squids and great whites.

“Pig vs. Shark” (10 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). The famous swimming pigs of the Bahamas might be endangered by the local tiger shark population — who have acquired a taste for pork.

“Raging Bulls” (11 p.m. on Discovery). A look at the aggressive Bull sharks of Australia with Paul De Gelder and Johan Gustafson.

Wednesday:

“Island of the Walking Sharks” (8 p.m on Discovery/discovery+). Forrest Galante travels to the island of Papua New Guinea to prove that sharks are evolving to walk on land.

“Mechashark Love Down Under” (9 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). Shark expert Kina Scollay and his team return with a one-man-submersible “Mechashark” to a secret location off New Zealand to locate a Great White mating ground.

“Mission Shark Dome” (10 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). Shark experts re-imagine ancient diving bell technology to create a research platform they call “Shark Dome” in order to get closer to great whites than ever before.

Photo of the "Mechashark."
The “Mechashark” at work.
Lucky 8 TV

Thursday:

“Tracy Morgan Presents: Sharks! with Tracy Morgan” (8 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). The comedian teams up with shark experts throughout the country to identify the craziest and most ferocious sharks in the ocean.

“Shark House” (9 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). Dickie Chivell builds an underwater habitat called “Shark House” to live for seven days and look for the last remaining great whites in South African waters.

“Monster Mako Under the Rig” (10 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). A team of researchers discover a mysterious group of mako sharks off the Gulf of Mexico who migrate around Florida and up to Rhode Island.

“Tiger Queen” (11 p.m. on Discovery). The sizable population of female tiger sharks of Turks and Caicos ponders the question: where are all the male sharks hiding?

Photo of Tracy Morgan. He's smiling and looking at the camera and is wearing an orange shirt with white stripes. He's got his arms folded on his chest.
Tracy Morgan talks all-things sharks with a team of experts.
Anomaly Entertainment

Friday:

“Jaws vs. The Blob” (8 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). A new ocean phenomenon known as “The Blob” sends juvenile great whites straight into a feeding frenzy for 20-foot adult sharks off the coast of Guadalupe Island. Do they survive … or become a healthy snack?

“Clash of the Killers: Great White vs. Mako” (9 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). Scientist Dr. Riley Elliott tracks great whites and makos as they head on a collision course during their yearly migration off the coast of New Zealand.

“Shark Women: Ghosted by Great Whites” (10 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). Alison Towner and her all-female crew track her missing (and tagged) great whites in South Africa.

“The Great Hammerhead Stakeout” (11 p.m. on Discovery). Dr. Tristan Guttridge and James Glancy travel to Andros Island to investigate reports of an exclusive population of giant hammerheads.

Saturday:

“Monsters of the Cape” (8 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). Dr. Craig O’Connell and Mark Rackley dive into the shark-infested waters off of Cape Cod to test deterrents to help keep the waters safe for beachgoers … and sharks.

“Sharks in Paradise” (9 p.m. on Discovery/discovery+). Shark conservationist Kinga Phillips and Tristan Guttridge travel to Tahiti to investigate local legends and mysteries about massive sharks.

source: nypost.com