Shark Week: 20 New ‘jaws’-dropping Premieres

If you grew up in the '90s or early 2000s, every summer you probably remember planning your week around Discovery Channel's Shark Week.

Long before streaming services gave us unlimited choices, Shark Week was truly appointment television. Families gathered around the TV, kids suddenly wanted to become marine biologists, and everyone debated whether they'd survive a great white encounter.

Nearly four decades later, the tradition is still going strong. And this year, my 5-year-old daughter is all in with her Pop-Pop after he introduced her to Jaws earlier this year.

Shark Week 2026 runs from Sunday, July 26 through Saturday, August 1, marking the event's 38th year on Discovery Channel, with this year's lineup including 20 brand-new specials, airing nightly from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET.

What's New This Year?

The week kicked off Sunday night with "K-Pop Shark Heroes," where comedian Ken Jeong teams up with Grammy-nominated singer REI AMI to explore shark conservation around the Korean Peninsula.

Other can't-miss premieres include:

• Air Jaws: Red, White and Breach exploring dramatic great white breaches along the U.S. coastline.
• Invasion of the Mega Sharks, following researchers as they search for one of the largest great whites ever documented in the North Atlantic.
• Bull Shark Dinner Bell, investigating what attracts bull sharks to humans.
• Jaws vs. Orca, examining the growing battle between two apex predators.
• Alien Sharks: Untamed America, featuring wildlife biologist Forrest Galante tracking some of the strangest sharks found in U.S. waters.
• Sharkzilla Takes New York, a title that's guaranteed to grab New Yorkers' attention.
• Great White Highway, which closes out the week by following the migration of great white sharks along the Atlantic coast.

It Hits Different for New Yorkers

This year's Shark Week arrives just as shark activity has been making headlines close to home.

Read More: Massive Great White Shark Swimming Towards New York |

Researchers recently tracked a 12-foot great white named Ernst near Montauk, while another massive shark nicknamed Contender is making its way north along the East Coast.

Several New York beaches have also increased drone patrols and temporarily closed swimming areas this summer because of shark sightings.

Why We Still Love Shark Week

Sure, the celebrities have changed and the technology is a lot cooler than it was in the '90s, but the formula remains the same.

Every summer, Discovery reminds us there's an entire world beneath the surface that's equal parts beautiful, mysterious, and just a little terrifying.