Sharkfest starts July 2 on National Geographic and lasts throughout the month of July. Disney networks Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN2 are also taking part. Disney Channel will feature shark content July 8 and 9, Disney XD will feature ten hours of shark stuff July 3-7, and Disney Junior will do so July 3-9. 

Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior and Nat Geo Kids’ YouTube channels will all have shark-themed shorts beginning July 3.

ABC’s owned stations will feature Sharkfest content from the past year. 

Disney Plus and Hulu will stream every Sharkfest premiere. There are over 22 hours of original programming in this summer’s event, and more than 50 hours of what Nat Geo calls enhanced content. 

Sharkfest ventures from Australia to the Bahamas, South Africa, and Indonesia, among other nations. Stateside, Sharkfest stops in Hawaii, Cape Cod, MA, Florida and New York, among other destinations. 

Premiering July 2 on National Geographic, Disney Plus and Hulu are Bull Shark Bandits, Shark Eat Shark and Saved From a Shark. July 3 features six-episode When Sharks Attack 360, Return of the White Shark and Bull Shark vs. Hammerhead. 

Other Sharkfest highlights include Shark Below Zero on July 5, eight-episode When Sharks Attack … and Why, premiering July 6, and Sharks vs. Dolphins: Bahamas Battleground on July 10.

Sharkfest has been going on for 11 years.  Last year, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney Plus, Hulu, ABC and ESPN partnered with Nat Geo on Sharkfest.   

In other shark-related summer TV events, Shark Week starts on Discovery July 23. Jason Momoa hosts the 35th edition of Shark Week. “My love of sharks came long before my time as Aquaman — it began several generations before me,” said the actor at the Warner Bros. Discovery upfront presentation. 

Discovery has not yet shared programming plans for the summer event. 

Pay-per-view content aggregator In Demand will look to sink its teeth into cable’s annual July shark-themed programming stunts with a special airing of Syfy’s original Sharknado movie.

In Demand on July 26 will distribute Sharknado: The Critics’ Roast, in which the first Sharknado film will feature new commentary from online film critics The Cinema Snob and the Nostalgia Critic, according to In Demand. Sharknado: The Critics’ Roast will be available exclusively to In Demand affiliates including Comcast Cable, Charter Communications and Cox Communications for a suggested retail price of $5.99, according to In Demand.

In addition, In Demand will make available for rent or purchase the full Sharknado movie catalog, including Sharknado, Sharknado 2: The Second One, Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!, Sharknado 3: Extended Edition, Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens, Sharknado 5: Global Swarming, The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time, as well as the mockumentary Sharknado: Heart of Sharkness.

In Demand’s Sharknado: The Critics’ Roast comes amid National Geographic’s four-week, 10th annual SharkFest programming stunt currently on-air, and Discovery Channel/Discovery Plus’ Shark Week event which premieres on Sunday (July 24). ■

National Geographic’s ninth annual Sharkfest will continue to focus on the science of sharks but will add a few new wrinkles -- and a new distribution partner in Disney Plus -- to keep shark fans glued to the month-long programming event that kicks off July 5. 

“It’s the most ambitious Sharkfest we’ve done yet,” said National Geographic Partners senior VP of development and production Janet Vissering. “Like every year, shark scientists and oceanic experts have pulled out all the stops for this year’s Sharkfest.” 

Vissering said that viewers’ fascination with sharks has continued to grow over the decades since the 1970s hit movie Jaws debuted and as more publicity is given to shark sightings as well as the rare and unfortunate shark attacks on people. She added that she hopes the Sharkfest programming lineup brings greater understanding and information celebrating sharks.

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Streaming service Disney Plus will join National Geographic in streaming this year's Sharkfest programming beginning July 9. The service will also premiere National Geographic Documentary Films’ Playing With Sharks on July 23. Vissering said the inclusion of Sharkfest content on Disney Plus helps expand the reach of the event to audiences that might not be familiar with the network’s annual programming stunt.

This year’s Sharkfest lineup on Nat Geo launches July 5 with Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth, which is a slight departure from the network’s traditional scientific-themed shark programming. The television and film star will team with shark conservationist Valerie Taylor to explore the sharks that have led to an increase in shark attacks along the east coast of Australia.

“We always have celebrities who want to do a shark show,” said Vissering, adding that Hemsworth brought to the table an affinity for and appreciation of sharks, as well as a desire to seek better understanding on how to stave off and eventually co-exist with the predators. 

Below are Sharkfest shows, descriptions and premiere dates per National Geographic. Dates are subject to change.

WHEN SHARKS ATTACK

National Geographic — Premieres July 5, at 8/7c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 2, at 8/7c

Disney+ — Beginning July 9

The world’s beaches quickly turn deadly in this terror-filled deep-sea saga when sharks descend, shocking the local community and sending scientists reeling. What causes these spikes in activity? And how can they be prevented?

SHARK BEACH WITH CHRIS HEMSWORTH

National Geographic — Premieres July 5, at 9/8c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 2, at 10/9c

Disney+ — Beginning July 9

Chris Hemsworth is on a mission to uncover the science of shark behavior and discover how humans and sharks can safely coexist. After an increase in local shark attacks along the east coast of Australia, Hemsworth seeks to understand different species of sharks and their behaviors while also exploring new preventative measures and the latest technology to help stave off shark-human encounters. The special from Nutopia (“One Strange Rock”) also features underwater conservationist and legend Valerie Taylor.

ROGUE SHARK?

National Geographic — Premieres July 5, at 10/9c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 11, at 10/9c

Disney+ — Beginning July 9

In October 2018, the remote islands of the Whitsunday in Australia were rocked by a series of shark attacks. Incredibly, all the victims were attacked in the same small patch of ocean, no larger than four football fields. Was a rogue serial killer on the loose? Or was something new drawing sharks and humans into conflict?

ORCA VS. GREAT WHITE

National Geographic — Premieres July 6, at 10/9c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 3, at 10/9c

Disney+ — Beginning July 9

Off the coast of South Africa in 2017, orcas began hunting and killing great white sharks. Now, researchers in New Zealand set out to discover if it could happen again. Diving with several shark populations along New Zealand’s southern coast, they investigate this murder mystery and seek answers to this burning question: have their local orcas developed a taste for great white sharks?

SHARK GANGS

National Geographic — Premieres July 7, at 10/9c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 12, at 8/7c

Disney+ — Beginning July 9

For years sharks have been viewed as solitary predators, but scientists have recently discovered a surprising new behavior. In this special, we reveal how this apex predator likes to hang out in gangs. So what is behind this behavior? Do sharks enjoy a social life, or are they working together to become even more effective hunters?

CROC THAT ATE JAWS

National Geographic — Premieres July 8, at 10/9c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 4, at 10/9c

Disney+ — Beginning July 9

From mysterious severed heads and ambush attacks to mob hunts and stand-offs, what happens when two of the deadliest predators on the planet go head-to-head?

WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS SHARK?

National Geographic — Premieres July 9, at 10/9c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 5, at 10/9c

Disney+ — Beginning July 16

The great white has a reputation for being the scariest in the sea, but Explorer Jacques Cousteau called the oceanic whitetip “The most dangerous of all sharks …” Two teams of experts dive deep into the world of the oceanic whitetip to reveal what makes this species a top contender for the title of “world’s most dangerous shark.”

SHARK ATTACK FILES

National Geographic — Premieres July 12, at 9/8c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 9, at 10/9c

Disney+ — Beginning July 16

This action-packed series is an investigation into bizarre and fascinating shark behavior. Featuring footage from actual attacks, interactions and behavior captured by both professionals and observant bystanders, every twist and turn leaves viewers sitting on the edge of their seats. Scientific experts and investigators dive deeper into the mystery of these unexplained behaviors and come to a stunning revelation that ties these extraordinary events together.

SHARK ATTACK INVESTIGATION: THE PAIGE WINTER STORY 

National Geographic — Premieres July 12, at 10/9c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 6, at 10/9c

Disney+ — Beginning July 16

Paige Winter was only 17 years old when she lost a leg and portion of her hand to a shark. Experts unpack the details of Paige’s attack to determine what kind of shark is responsible and what can be done, if anything, to avoid this happening again. Despite all Paige has lived through, this inspirational teen remains an advocate for sharks and, with the guidance of professionals, takes brave steps to overcome her greatest fears.

WORLD’S BIGGEST BULL SHARK?

National Geographic — Premieres July 13, at 10/9c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 10, at 9/8c

Disney+ — Beginning July 16

It was a freak encounter that broke all the records. In 2012, off the coast of Florida, shark scientist Dr. Neil Hammerschlag caught the mother of all bull sharks—it stretched more than 10-feet long and weighed over 1,000 pounds! They named her Big Bull and set her free. Bull sharks in Florida patrol the beaches, terrifyingly close the swimmers, and feast on seasonal migrations of baitfish. Many long thought these sharks were just well-fed, but now some scientists believe that Big Bull is the matriarch of a unique population of giants. There is only one way to find out ... and you gotta get close.

KILLER SHARK VS. KILLER WHALE 

National Geographic — Premieres July 15, at 10/9c

Nat Geo WILD — Encore Presentation Aug. 11, at 9/8c

Disney+ — Beginning Aug. 6

The mystery of orcas attacking great white sharks for their livers leaves scientists baffled. This unusual predatory behavior has been witnessed in three parts of the world: California, South Africa and Australia. But the most shocking outcome is the disappearance of the other sharks after the event. How are they communicating with their kin and getting out of dodge when the killer whales move in?

PLAYING WITH SHARKS

Disney+ — Premieres July 23

A true pioneer in both underwater filmmaking and shark research, Valerie Taylor is a living legend and icon in the underwater world whose life’s work has become the basis for much of what we know about sharks today. Through remarkable underwater archival footage, along with interviews with Valerie herself, PLAYING WITH SHARKS, from National Geographic Documentary Films and twice Emmy®-nominated director Sally Aitken, follows this daring ocean explorer’s trajectory from champion spearfisher to passionate shark protector. From the birth of cage diving to “Jaws” hysteria to the dawn of cageless shark diving, Valerie became a trailblazing advocate for the ocean’s most maligned and misunderstood creatures.

National Geographic airs the ninth annual Sharkfest starting July 5. The event starts with When Sharks Attack and then Shark Beach With Chris Hemsworth, as the movie star investigates how people can live more harmoniously alongside sharks. 

National Geographic promises 21 hours of new premieres and 60 hours of “enhanced content” over six weeks. 

Corporate sibling Disney Plus runs Sharkfest programming starting July 9, and features highlights from previous seasons beginning June 25. Disney Plus premieres Playing With Sharks, which sees conservationist Valerie Taylor offer a close examination and explanation of shark life, July 23. 

Hulu will stream the six previous seasons of When Sharks Attack. Nat Geo Wild airs Sharkfest content, too.  

“The mysteries of the ocean’s most iconic predators are so vast, even with eight years of shark-focused content under our belt, there still remains more to be discovered,” says Janet Vissering, senior VP of development and production, National Geographic Partners. “Like every year, shark scientists and oceanic experts have pulled out all the stops for this year’s Sharkfest, revealing new discoveries, shocking revelations and bizarre shark behavior never seen before. It’s going to be jaw-some!”

Other Sharkfest specials include Rogue Shark?, Orca Vs. Great White, Croc That Ate Jaws, World’s Most Dangerous Shark? and Killer Shark Vs. Killer Whale. 

Discovery hosts Shark Week and has not yet shared the date for the summer stunt. 

National Geographic will launch a new series on National Parks while bringing back several series including Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted and Running wild with Bear Grylls as part of its 2021-22 programming season. 

The network has tapped Garth Brooks to narrate its National Parks history-themed series which will showcase the grandeur of America’s national parks, said the network during its upfront presentation Tuesday.

The network also announced that it will launch its 10th annual Sharfest event, which will take place in summer of 2022. Also on the network’s schedule is the November return of The Hot Zone scripted series franchise. The six-part The Hot Zone: Anthrax will focus on the events around the 2001 anthrax letters attack. The series stars Daniel Dae Kim and Tony Goldwyn.

New shows include The 80’s Top Ten focusing on the decade’s top pop culture events, and Brain Games on The Road, an extension of the network’s Brain Games franchise that will originate from different venues, giving average Americans the chance to test their brainpower. 

Nat Geo series renewals include Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, Running Wild With Bear Grylls, Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller and Life Below Zero.  The network will also bring back Explorer as a series of specials in partnership with ABC News, featuring Good Morning America co-anchors Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan. 

On the Nat Geo Wild front, the network has renewed six series as part of its 2021-22 programming season, including The incredible Dr. Pol, Critter Fixers: Country Vets, Dr.Oakley, Yukon Vet, Heartland Docs, DVM, Secrets of the Zoo Columbus and Secrets of the Zoo Tampa, according to network officials.

In addition, the network also announced Vet Appreciation Week, a week-long event dedicated to the professionals improving the health and welfare of animals. 

It is a summer like no other for the various networks offering shark-centric stunts. Sharks around the world have had more freedom to roam with so many humans stuck at home, offering scientists a unique opportunity to chronicle their true behavior. Discovery, home of Shark Week, mentioned how fewer people hanging out at the beach “has given sharks the opportunity to reclaim the oceans.”

Shark Week runs Aug. 9 to Aug. 16, and vows to go where none of the 31 Shark Weeks before it have gone. “It’s a really unique, almost once in a lifetime opportunity to study great whites in a way they’ve never been observed before, without the influence of human activity on the water,” Howard Swartz, Discovery senior VP of production and development, said. “There are really surprising observations, surprising results.”

National Geographic, for its part, expanded its SharkFest event from three weeks last year to five weeks, going from July 19 to Aug. 8 on Nat Geo and Aug. 9 to Aug. 22 on Nat Geo Wild. Geoff Daniels, Nat Geo executive VP of global unscripted entertainment, said the absence of the Olympics and most pro sports on television spelled serious opportunity for other content, including shark stuff. “The appetite is almost insatiable,” he said. “We saw there being a real good opportunity to expand and grow our following.”

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While conditions may be ideal this year for shark TV on the content side, there are good reasons why Discovery has been doing Shark Week since 1988 and why other networks have followed that lead: viewers tune in and sponsors turn up. Shark Week averaged , for one,1.36 million total viewers during prime last year and made Discovery cable's top non-news network in prime for adults 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54. In total-day ratings, Discovery was cable’s No. 1 network during Shark Week in adults 18-49 and 25-54.

Fintastic Fare

In terms of pandemic-themed programming, Shark Week offers Shark Lockdown, about how the hunting patterns of great whites off New Zealand may have changed without many people in the water, Aug. 9. Sharks of Neptune is on Aug. 13, looking at how great whites in Australia “are returning to their natural behaviors” without mankind getting in the way.

Shark Week also offers new Air Jaws films dedicated to great whites leaping out of the water. Those include Ultimate Breach Off, an examination of how the shark population is holding up (that kicks off Shark Week Aug. 9) and Air Jaws 2020, which celebrates 20 years of flying sharks under the Air Jaws rubric, and is on Aug. 13. Great White Double Trouble looks at the rising wave of shark attacks in Australia, and premieres Aug. 10.

Mike Tyson, Will Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Snoop Dogg are some of the celebrities hanging out with the apex predators during Shark Week.

In its eighth season, Nat Geo’s SharkFest offers 17 premiere hours, including Sharkcano, which sees a shark scientist reveal the peculiar connection between sharks and volcanos; and Raging Bull Shark, about why the bull shark is becoming increasingly dangerous. There’s also Sharks vs. Dolphins, which sounds like a bit of a mismatch on paper, but actually is not, according to Kevin Bachar, president and executive producer/director at Pangolin Pictures, which produced the film. Dolphins’ brains, he said, are a pretty good match for sharks’ sharp teeth. “Dolphins are able to go toe-to-toe with sharks,” he said. “In fact, they’re able to turn the tables on sharks.”

SharkFest will not focus on how COVID has affected shark habits — at least not this year. “I think it’s probably too early to really understand the impact the pandemic is having on shark life and shark behavior,” Daniels said. “But it did give us the opportunity to get into oceans that were not as influenced by human presence, an opportunity to see sharks behave completely unaffected by the human presence.”

Daniels said he “wouldn’t be surprised to see that become part of the stories going forward.”

Last year’s SharkFest, which went for three weeks, reached 20 million total viewers across Nat Geo and Nat Geo Wild. It averaged 555,000 total viewers on National Geographic and 215,000 on Nat Geo Wild.

Syfy might not have the nonfiction pedigree of Discovery and Nat Geo, but the network is also pushing hard on a shark stunt. One Last Bite of Summer, marking its fifth year, airs on the network Aug. 22 to Aug. 28. The half-dozen Sharknado films are featured, as for the first time is an array of high-camp original films, produced by Syfy and third-party outfits. The six Sharknado movies — including Sharknado: The 4th Awakens and Sharknado 5: Global Swarming — air Aug. 22. Ian Ziering and Tara Reid play fearless shark killers in the over-the-top horror movies, which offer loads of celebrity cameos.

In press materials, Syfy called One Last Bite “the only week of sharks you need this summer.” The rest of the stunt offers, among other movies, 5-Headed Shark, 6-Headed Shark, Planet of the Sharks, Zombie Tidal Wave and Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf.

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Val Boreland, executive VP, content strategy & acquisitions for the NBCUniversal Entertainment & Lifestyle Group, said the Syfy stunt is most definitely not Shark Week.

“It’s all in fun,” she said. “It’s very campy, the most ridiculous shark experience you
can have.”

Might there be more Sharknado movies? “I never say never,” Boreland said.

While Discovery and Nat Geo shoot their shark projects year-round, the pandemic nonetheless caused a bit of havoc in the production process. Discovery deployed extra boats to better allow crews to socially distance, and protocols were set up to keep the virus at bay. “It added complexity, it added expense, it added time spent putting things together,” Howard Swartz said. “It definitely created some agita, but we were able to be patient and work through it.”

Geoff Daniels said that SharkFest projects may be in production for one and a half to two years, so COVID-19 challenges were less of an issue for Nat Geo. “There are no shortcuts to be able to tell groundbreaking, thrilling, entertaining stories,” he said.

Tooth Seekers

Asked why viewers appear to be so fascinated with sharks, multiple sources cite the 1975 Steven Spielberg smash Jaws. As the wide array of horror films and series across our TV dial will attest, people simply love to be scared to death. “For some reason we gravitate to roller coasters, we go see scary movies,” Bachar said. “We’re fascinated by things that terrorize us.”

Mary Dalton, professor of communication at Wake Forest University, called shark programming “a manageable risk:” it’s scary and it’s fun, and if it gets too scary, one can simply change the channel or leave the room. “There’s the adrenaline rush, and a sense of relief when it’s over,” she said.

Dalton likens the shark stunts on TV this summer to something else that tickled our desire to be frightened: Netflix smash Tiger King. “The lure, and lore, of big cats is not that different from the lure, and lore, of sharks,” she said. “Both are exotic.”

(Also exotic? Tiger King star Joe Exotic.)

Viewers simply enjoy watching a “perfect hunting machine,” in Swartz’s words, in action. “Sharks are massive and have lots of really big teeth. People are fascinated by that.”

As Tiger King took off in the early days of the COVID lockdown, shark content may work even better for a viewing population that has been stuck at home for a good chunk of 2020, spending much of its time watching frightful tales of pandemic and protest on the news. Daniels mentioned feeling “incredibly happy” after watching SharkFest cuts from the South Pacific and the Caribbean. “It offers viewers a really wonderful and hopeful escape from the everyday,” he added.

Discovery’s Swartz suspects increased hunger for shark content this summer. “It’s a nice respite from all the news of the world, and all the realities that are going on,” he said. “People love sharks.” 

National Geographic will start its Sharkfest campaign Sunday July 19, and Nat Geo Wild picks up the shark stunt Aug. 9. Across the five weeks and two networks, there will be 17 original premieres related to sharks. 

“For the past eight years, Nat Geo and Nat Geo Wild have been THE destination for viewers to get up close and personal with one of the world’s most awe-inspiring creatures, and this summer we’re eating up the competition again with an unprecedented lineup of action-packed shark shows,” said Geoff Daniels, executive VP of global unscripted entertainment at National Geographic. “Over five full weeks, our viewers will get the ultimate home field advantage to witness the ocean’s super stars in their prime, so pull up your beach chairs and get ready for some Sharkfest!”

It is the eighth annual Sharkfest.

Discovery holds Shark Week in August. Shark Week began in 1988. 

Sharkfest programs include World’s Biggest Tiger Shark?, with a pair of divers in the water in French Polynesia, in search of the world’s largest living tiger shark; Most Wanted Sharks, with the hosts looking at “the most sensational sharks of all time,” according to Nat Geo; and Sharkcano, which looks at why sharks and volcanoes seem to inhabit the same spots. 

World’s Biggest Tiger Shark kicks things off July 19, with When Sharks Attack and Sharks vs. Dolphins: Blood Battle on July 20.